A man arrested for allegedly assaulting people and acting erratically in an east London street has died in police custody.

Officers responded to reports of a man assaulting people in Cundy Road, a residential street in Newham, at 7.15am on Wednesday.

Further reports said he had walked off towards Prince Regent Lane, where he was seen acting irrationally, throwing himself on to passing cars and confronting council workers, police said.

The man was finally apprehended at the nearby ExCel London, a venue for trade shows and other events, where officers found him being restrained by security guards.

“The man was placed in handcuffs by officers, but became unresponsive,” a Metropolitan police statement said.

Officers gave first aid and called an ambulance, which took the man, believed to be 37 years old, to an east London hospital, where he died shortly after. Police said they were in the process of informing his next of kin.

Road closures were in place and forensic investigators at work at sites on Prince Regent Lane and the ExCel centre. One ExCel security guard was treated at hospital for bite injuries.

No arrests have been made. The Met’s directorate of professional standards and the Independent Office of Police Conduct have been informed, according to the protocol for deaths that occur in police custody.

“Enquiries into the full circumstances continue,” the Met said.