Accused Idaho Shoplifter Dies After Store Security Take-Down

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — A 35-year-old man suspected of shoplifting from a northern Idaho grocery store has died after he was detained by one of the store's security employees.

The Coeur d'Alene Police Department has not yet released the man's name. An autopsy has been scheduled. Officers were responding to a report of two men fighting Wednesday night when they found the man suspected of shoplifting unresponsive on the ground. Law enforcement officers began resuscitation efforts until an ambulance arrived, but the man died about an hour later at a local hospital.

Sgt. Christie Wood wrote in a press release that the loss prevention officer at Super 1 Foods told police that the man suspected of shoplifting fled the store, and the security officer gave chase, catching him nearby. Woods said witnesses reported that the shoplifting suspect was fighting in an attempt to get away, but the security worker held him to the ground, and the man became lethargic.