A 26-year-old man died Wednesday night after being taken into police custody following a string of alleged assaults in Chinatown early Monday morning.

The man, 26, has no local address and died Wednesday night at about 11 p.m. at Straub Hospital, police said. The City Medical Examiner's office performed an autopsy yesterday, but an official with the office said the results have been deferred.

The official also declined to identify the man.

At 5:45 a.m. Monday, Chinatown patrol officers responded to a report about a 26-year-old man pushing and shoving people in the Maunakea Marketplace. Officers located the man at 126 North Pauahi street where he was acting erratically, and issued multiple verbal commands for the man to stop and surrender, said Honolulu police Capt. Frank Fujii.

The 26-year-old took off running and officers found him later in front of 62 North Hotel Street. Again, officers issued several commands for the man to stop, Fujii said.

The man continued to act unruly and pepper spray was used to subdue him. It did not work, police said. At some point the man uprooted a small tree, Fujii said.

Once the man was arrested he was taken to the Alapai Street station for booking. Officers found him unresponsive in his cell and he was taken by ambulance to Straub Hospital.

A witness told police the man had been drinking all night and drug use is suspected, police said.

Fujii said detectives with the department's criminal investigation division and internal affairs division are looking into the incident.

Prior to collapsing in his cell, the man was arrested on three counts of third degree assault, criminal property damage, harassing a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.