Cd'A police investigating man's death

COEUR d’ALENE — A 35-year-old man suspected of shoplifting from a grocery store was found unresponsive by police outside the store and died less than an hour later.

The Coeur d’Alene Police Department said the man died at 11:13 p.m. Wednesday night after being taken to Kootenai Health. Police first responded to “two males fighting” at 10:35 p.m.

Police said a loss-prevention officer at the Super 1 Foods at 305 W. Kathleen Ave. chased the man who had fled after the alleged thefts.

“The loss-prevention officer said he chased after him and caught him in the area of Sunset Motors where he attempted to hold onto him,” Sgt. Christie Wood said in a news release Thursday morning. “Witnesses who were nearby state the male began to fight to get away from the loss prevention officer who was trying to detain him.”

The man was with a woman at the store, Wood said.

“Information obtained from the female (who) was with the male subject is the male was under the influence of illegal drugs at the time of the incident,” Woods said.

The Kootenai County Coroner’s Office has scheduled an autopsy.