Hallucinating man dies after fleeing hospital

A man suffering hallucinations died early this morning after fleeing a hospital. Spokane police officers responded to a call made by a man who was hallucinating about 9:30 p.m. Friday at Wellesley and Standard, according to a Spokane Police Department news release. Officers called for an ambulance and the man was transported to the hospital. A few hours later, hospital staff called police to report the man fled and security was following him. Spokane police responded to assist, but when they arrived, the man had stopped breathing, the news release said. Officers administered CPR and the male was taken back to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Critical Incident Protocol was invoked and the multi-agency Spokane Investigative Regional Response Team is handling the investigation, which is protocol in any officer-involved fatal incident. Police say more information on the incident will be released early next week.