WorkSafe says it is making initial inquiries after a man died in police custody in Tauranga.

The workplace health and safety regulator said it had been notified of the incident, which was standard when a death occurred in a workplace.

“At this early stage, WorkSafe is making initial inquiries to understand whether the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 applies and whether any further action is required within our role as the work health and safety regulator,” WorkSafe said in a statement to SunLive.

Police earlier confirmed that a man died after being taken into custody in Mount Maunganui.

Bay of Plenty district commander Superintendent Will Loughrin said officers first observed a vehicle of interest at 12.32am on Wednesday, linked to a man they were seeking.

The vehicle was monitored as it travelled through Mount Maunganui before stopping on Kaniere St.

Police said the driver left the vehicle and tried to flee on foot, before getting back into the car and ramming a police vehicle in an attempt to leave the scene.

“A Taser and OC spray [pepper spray] were deployed during the arrest,” Loughrin said.

The man was being taken to Tauranga police station when he became unresponsive.

Police said they requested medical assistance immediately, with an ambulance dispatched about 12.42am. Officers began CPR before ambulance staff took over on arrival.

Hato Hone St John said it was notified at 12.42am of an incident at Monmouth St in Tauranga.

“One ambulance, one operations manager and one rapid response unit responded to the scene.”

Police said the man was pronounced dead shortly before 1.45am at the police station.

The man’s family had been notified.

A critical incident investigation was underway and the Independent Police Conduct Authority had been notified, which was standard procedure in cases of this nature.

WorkSafe said it would continue to liaise with police and other agencies as appropriate while inquiries continued.

Police said several inquiries were underway to determine the exact circumstances leading up to the death, with scene examinations ongoing.

An IPCA spokesperson had confirmed that the organisation received a notification from the police about the death.

“We are assessing whether to conduct an independent investigation.”