A man has died after he was shot with a Taser gun by police responding to reports of a house burglary.
Staffordshire police said officers discharged the weapon after being called to an address in Audley Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, just after 1am on Monday.
A force spokesman said the occupants were not at home at the time, but police arrived to find a man inside.
He said: “During the incident, a Taser was discharged by officers and the man was taken to a police vehicle.”
The man then became “unresponsive” and, despite treatment by paramedics, he died.
Staffordshire Police said that, as is normal in a case like this, the incident has now been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
A detailed investigation is under way at the scene, which remains under a police cordon.
PA