A 29-year-old man died Saturday after a tense encounter at a downtown St. Louis bus stop led to a police transport to the hospital, according to authorities. Police identified him as Mark Smith, who officers say was encountered Thursday on the 430 block of S. 15th Street near the Enterprise Center. The city's Force Investigation Unit has opened an inquiry into his death.
Police say officers made contact with Smith shortly after 2:06 p.m. on Thursday, after security had already detained him. Officers described him as combative, erratic and in a delusional state. At 2:11 p.m., an ambulance was requested, but dispatchers reportedly told officers no ambulances were available. That prompted officers to transport Smith in the back of a marked SLMPD transport van, according to First Alert 4.
The call came from the bus station at roughly the 430 block of S. 15th Street, placing the scene in the city's entertainment corridor near the Enterprise Center. The venue lists its address as 1401 Clark Avenue in downtown St. Louis, directly east of Union Station, on its website Enterprise Center.
During the transport, police said, Smith repeatedly rammed his head into the metal partition of the van. By the time officers and medical staff reached the hospital, he was unconscious. Hospital personnel informed SLMPD that he arrived in critical condition, and he died on Saturday. The department's Force Investigation Unit is conducting an investigation, and officials have not released a cause of death, per First Alert 4.
Probe Still in Early Stages
SLMPD has not detailed what the Force Investigation Unit will examine or provided a timeline for the probe. The department has also not said whether any officers will face administrative action or whether the Circuit Attorney's Office will review the death.
Legal Implications
No charges have been announced and the manner and cause of death have not been released. If the investigation finds wrongdoing by an officer, local prosecutors could pursue criminal charges, though any referral would depend entirely on the findings.
