A 57-year-old man died from cardiac arrest in an ambulance while being transported to hospital after Carabinieri officers used a Taser to subdue him during a violent episode in Olbia, Sardinia. The incident occurred late Saturday night in the Santa Mariedda district, where the Sassari-born man was reportedly causing panic in the street, assaulting passersby, and attacking the responding officers themselves.
According to preliminary reports from rescue workers, the man appeared to be in an impaired state due to alcohol and/or drug consumption. During the arrest, he injured one officer, causing facial wounds. Medical personnel from the EMS service, called immediately after police intervention, found the man in critical condition and attempted resuscitation during transit to Olbia Hospital, where his heart stopped.
The State Police’s anti-crime squad is investigating the incident. The Independent Carabinieri Union (Sic) issued a statement expressing solidarity with the officers involved, asserting they “acted professionally and followed operational procedures for intervening with individuals in severe altered states posing high danger to the public.”
The Tempio Pausania Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the death. Magistrates will order an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.