Police in Phoenix are investigating the death of a man who grappled with officers as he attempted an exorcism on his 3-year-old granddaughter.

Police Sgt. Joel Tranter told The Arizona Republic the incident happened Saturday when officers were tipped off by a relative an exorcism was being performed on the child.

Police heard shouting inside the house, broke in and found Ronald Marquez, 48, holding the unidentified girl in a headlock and squeezing her torso with his other arm.

The girl's 19-year-old mother was naked, smeared with blood and chanting, officers said in the Republic article.

"It's very bizarre, very unusual and (a) pretty horrific situation this young child was involved in," Tranter told the newspaper.

Officers used a Taser stun device on Marquez once with no effect but he went down on the second zap and was handcuffed, police said.

Soon after, he stopped breathing, and officers performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on him until paramedics arrived.

Marquez was pronounced dead at the hospital and a police internal investigation is under way, the newspaper said.

[Earthtimes]