Gold Coast man who screamed inside restaurant and died had a mental health episode, police claim

A man who died on the floor of a Gold Coast restaurant after he burst into the venue and was restrained in front of diners was experiencing a mental health episode, police say.

The 45-year-old ran into the Chim Thai Cove restaurant at Sanctuary Cove on Hope Island on Friday evening in a highly agitated state and tried to enter the kitchen.

Police and diners restrained the Ormeau man – who had been staying at a nearby hotel – but he died at the scene.

Queensland Police Detective Superintendent Brendan Smith on Sunday said the man’s death was a tragic incident and assured the community there was no threat to their safety.

Superintendent Smith said the man had been affected by mental health issues or in ‘some sort of psychotic state that has required him to be restrained by members of the community and then by police’ before he died.

Superintendent Smith said the man died from ‘some sort of natural cause’, with the coroner still investigating the cause of the death.

‘It’s unclear if it’s mental health or if it’s a drug psychosis. That will be part of the investigation,’ he said.

Superintendent Smith confirmed two men followed the man into the restaurant but said they were trying to recover property he had stolen from them rather than chasing him.

‘There was no person chasing this man, there was no person involved in threatening him,’ he said.

Superintendent Smith said the man had been in contact with police relating to mental health issues three times from February 11 to 17.

He was taken to hospital for treatment on one of those occasions.

Superintendent Smith said the people in the restaurant who restrained him on the night he died had ‘done the right thing’.

‘They’ve protected other members in that restaurant because of that man’s mental health and the fact that he had close access to weapons,’ he said.

Mr Smith said the man’s family were very distressed.

‘I was there the night when his daughters arrived and they were clearly very upset as you would be,’ he said.

Police and diners restrained the man before he died at Chim Thai Cove eatery (pictured) at Sanctuary Cove on Hope Island on Friday evening 

A Coroner will perform an autopsy to determine what caused the man’s death

‘The gentleman was only 45 so he’s still quite young.

‘He had a lot of living to do, it’s very sad for the family.

‘I don’t know how people recover from this sort of thing.’

The Ethical Standards Command is investigating the incident, with police appealing to anyone in the Hope Island restaurant precinct close to the marina between 6 and 8pm who saw the man or captured footage of him to come forward.