The police watchdog group Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) was deployed to Fort Qu’Appelle after a person went into medical distress while in custody on Friday.

Fort Qu’Appelle RCMP received a report of a breach of peace on Boundary Avenue on Wednesday around 3:15 p.m., according to a media release from the Saskatchewan RCMP on Friday afternoon.

When officers responded, they found a man who appeared to have a minor injury. Officers said the man seemed to be intoxicated and was arrested for a breach of peace and taken into custody for his safety.

RCMP said the man was monitored by cell guards throughout the night. However, the next morning around 7 a.m. when a police officer tried to wake the man to assess him for release, the officer determined he was experiencing a medical event.

EMS was called and the man was taken to the hospital. Later that day, Fort Qu’Appelle RCMP was told that the man was in serious condition in the hospital.

RCMP notified SIRT of the incident, as required by The Police Act. SIRT will now investigate the RCMP’s interaction with the man and circumstances of his injuries.

There will also be a separate investigation done by the RCMP’s General Investigative Section to determine whether an injury led to the man’s medical state, and if there was any criminal involvement.

SIRT is an independent unit led by the public that investigates serious incidents involving police officers in Saskatchewan.

Fort Qu’Appelle is about 73 kilometres northeast of Regina.