US man dies after pepper spray arrest

An African-American man in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, died after officers pepper-sprayed him when he resisted arrest, police said.

Police had received a call that Anthony Ware, 35, had a gun and was sitting on a porch at an apartment complex, Tuscaloosa city police said on their Facebook page.

When officers arrived, the man ran into woods and was chased by officers, who pepper-sprayed him, before placing him in handcuffs as he resisted arrest, police said. Ware collapsed as he was walking out of the woods.

Police conduct in the United States has provoked protests over the treatment of minorities by law enforcement, after a series of deaths of black men in confrontations with police in the past year.

The Tuscaloosa News reported that Ware was pursued by six police officers, including at least three white officers, a black officer and an Asian-American officer.

Police plan to release video of the arrest from a vehicle dash cam and from body cameras, Tuscaloosa’s assistant police chief, Ronnie Dunn, told a news conference, according to the Tuscaloosa News.

Police said they tried to revive Ware and that he was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Tuscaloosa County homicide unit will investigate the death, police said.