A man described by police as "combative" died Saturday morning — apparently after he was stunned several times in a struggle with Mount Joy Borough police.

Robert A. Neill Jr., 61, of Mount Joy, was pronounced dead on arrival Saturday at Lancaster General Hospital. The circumstances of his death are being investigated by state police at Ephrata.

According to a statement from state police, officers from Mount Joy Borough police responded to the 300 block of Marietta Avenue at 3:50 a.m. Saturday after receiving a complaint from Neill that he was being harassed by neighbors.

As officers tried to understand the complaint, Neill "became combative and aggressive," the report states.

Verbal attempts to subdue Neill "enraged" him, according to the report, which states that Neill "continually ignored their commands and moved aggressively toward the officer."

Officers used Taser stun guns on Neill after repeated attempts to calm him failed, the report says. Neill, the report states, "continued to struggle and fight with officers until they were finally able to gain control of him."

Officers from Susquehanna Regional and state police responded to assist at the scene, at which point Neill again began to struggle "and was subsequently tased and maced by the officers," the report states.

Susquehanna Valley Emergency Medical Services arrived to provide treatment. Neill was placed in an ambulance, according to the report, and "his breathing became labored and his pulse became weak."

Medical personnel administered CPR during transport, the report states, but Neill "was unresponsive to their attempts to revive him."

He was pronounced dead on arrival at LGH at 5:18 a.m.

A spokeswoman for the state police declined further comment on the incident Saturday.

Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman said Saturday that Mount Joy Borough police contacted the DA's office immediately after the incident, and "we coordinated with the state police to take over the investigation."

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday morning, Stedman said.

"We'll wait to see what those results are," he said. "Once [the state police] complete their investigation ... we'll take the appropriate action."

Stedman was unaware if the officers involved had been placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

The district attorney's office cleared New Holland police officers after a similar incident in April 2006, when 45-year-old Curtis Lee Smith died after being shocked twice with a stun gun during a struggle with police.

An autopsy on Smith determined that Smith died from a cocaine overdose, not the effects of the Taser.

tknapp@lnpnews.com