A 51-year-old man died after an altercation with Stop & Shop staff Saturday morning, according to police.
Police are investigating the death, which occurred after the man was accused of shoplifting at the Flatbush Avenue store, the NYPD says.
The man, who police later identified as Ralph Nimmons, became irate after employees stopped him to question him about allegedly shoplifting around 7:30 a.m., police said.
There was a brief altercation, during which Nimmons was “subdued” and collapsed, according to the NYPD.
Police didn’t have information about how he was restrained, but witnesses said he was telling store employees to let him go and complained that he couldn’t breathe as they held him down, according to reports.
When emergency responders arrived on the scene around 7:49 a.m., he was in cardiac arrest and was taken to Kings County Hospital Center in critical condition, according to the FDNY.
He was later pronounced dead at the hospital, police said.
The city’s medical examiner will determine his cause of death, police said.
In a statement on Sunday, Stop & Shop said that it is “saddened by the death that occurred at our Flatbush Avenue store on Saturday.”
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the family,” the statement continued. “We continue to cooperate with law enforcement officials to ensure that the facts pertaining to this incident are fully and accurately determined.”
