A 41-year-old Spryfield man was found dead in a Halifax police cell early this morning and Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team has been brought in to investigate.

The man was found unresponsive at about 1:45 a.m., Halifax Regional Police said. EHS were called but their efforts to resuscitate the man were unsuccessful.

Police said they were called to the IWK Hospital shortly after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday about an unwanted person on the premises.

They found the man outside the hospital at the University Avenue entrance. He was arrested for public intoxication and put in cells at about 11 p.m.

Checks every 15 minutes

"The checks are conducted in cells every 15 minutes," Staff Sgt. Greg Mason said. He said the man would have been checked shortly before he was found unresponsive.

"At that time, there was nothing noted by the booking officer," he said.

Mason said the man was alone in a single cell from the time he was arrested to the time he was found unresponsive.

The province's Serious Incident Response Team, which investigates all serious incidents involving police whether or not there are allegations of wrongdoing, said it is now looking into what happened.

The man's identity has not been released, pending notification of next of kin.

The medical examiner's office is performing an autopsy today to determine the cause of death.