San Pedro Man Dies After Police Detention, Probe Launched

A 23-year-old San Pedro resident has died after being detained by police on Monday, and investigations are now underway to find out why. Reports are that Selvin Sealy had trespassed onto the property of Villa Abrazos and climbed a pine tree around 6:20 Monday morning. The security guard called the police and his employer, then asked Sealy to leave the property, but he refused. Later, Sealy reportedly came down from the tree and jumped into the establishment’s pool and refused to come out. Reports are that once he did try to come out, he slipped twice, hitting his chin each time. Eventually, he was subdued by police and taken to the police station but was unconscious when he got there. Police took Sealy to the San Pedro Poly Clinic, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero says that the Professional Standards Branch of the department will be conducting a thorough investigation to determine if the force used to subdue Sealey contributed to his death. 

ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division:“Police responded to a report of a male person that had trespassed into a property. Upon their arrival police saw that this person had climbed a tree. He was ordered to come down. There was a dispute between him and the police. Thereafter he came down and force had to be used for him to be subdued. He was then taken into custody, taken to the San Pedro station where they noticed that he was in distress and had become unconscious. He was rushed to the San Pedro Polyclinic where he succumbed. He was identified as Selvin Sealey, 23 year old of San Pedro. A post mortem will be conducted and a thorough investigation will be done to determine his cause of death. He had to be held down and at some point he was restrained and then taken to the station and that is when they noticed his condition and he was taken to the clinic. The investigation will be conducted by the Professional Standards Branch, at the completion and after the post mortem results the file will be sent to the DPP for her advice.”

Sealey’s body was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Morgue, where a post-mortem examination is pending.