PHOENIX — Authorities are investigating after a 42-year-old man died while in Phoenix police custody.
Police say Tuesday afternoon, officers were called to a school near 28th Street and Siesta Lane to investigate a man acting erratically in the parking lot.
A school employee told officers they saw a man, later identified as Darimiah Hand, wandering around the parking lot and running into parked cars. The employee said they asked Hand to leave and he did not respond.
Witnesses say Hand eventually wandered off school property and into the roadway without regard for traffic or his safety. He then went to a nearby home and walked directly into a block wall and tree.
Police say a Phoenix police officer, assigned as a school resource officer at the school, followed Hand and tried to prevent him from running into the roadway. The officer was able to grab Hand's backpack and pull him into a sitting position to keep him safe until emergency crews arrived.
The officer placed Hand in handcuffs to prevent him from getting up and harming himself. A second officer arrived and concerned for Hand's safety, the officers moved the handcuffs to the front of his body.
Police say when firefighters arrived, they found Hand had a lethal body core temperature. Officers say he was transported to the hospital where he later died.
Authorities say the cause of death will be determined by the Office of the Medical Examiner.
