Nine minutes after Wayne Thomas Kerle was put into a police van days after Christmas the 68-year-old was found unconscious.
Less than half an hour later he was pronounced dead.
The death of Mr Kerle - who had an inflammatory lung disease, a heart condition and hypertension as well as mental health diagnoses - will be the subject of an inquest next year.
Officers responding to an unrelated disturbance at a Fortitude Valley unit complex took Mr Kerle into custody on December 27, counsel assisting Julie Pietzner-Hagan told a pre-inquest conference in Brisbane on Thursday.
Body-worn camera footage captures a senior constable calling out to three occupants of a unit asking if they were smoking cannabis at 6.29pm.
While police searched the unit, Mr Kerle said words to the effect of: "Hospital, please, quick" and told officers he was having an asthma attack.
When told an ambulance was coming, the 68-year-old: "Well if you weren't here I'd be better so you can f*** off."
Minutes later Mr Kerle, who said the cannabis was medicinal, was handcuffed behind his back.
He interrupted officers as the three men were arrested on a dangerous drugs possession charge, yelled and swore, and said he had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Asked what other conditions he had, Mr Kerle said: "Just depression, anxiety, stress and I'm allergic to police with guns."
Ms Pietzner-Hagan said paramedics found Mr Kerle did not need to go to hospital, saying he was always going to have episodes of shortness of breath with COPD.
"Apart from them (police) being here and getting you upset, I think ... given your medical history you're clinically pretty well," one said.
While being escorted to a police van Mr Kerle shuffled on his knees with officers holding his arms and twice fell forward onto his stomach.
Footage appears to show an officer dragging Mr Kerle on the ground by his arms which are still cuffed to the rear, Ms Pietzner-Hagan said.
He was put into the van with one officer lifting his arms and another his legs, slid inside and rotated onto his right side.
When the vehicle reached the Brisbane Watch House at 7.14pm Mr Kerle did not respond to instructions to get out.
He was declared dead after police and paramedics tried for 24 minutes to resuscitate him.
A forensic pathologist could not ascertain the cause of death, saying it was a complex case with a number of significant issues.
"There was an acute medical deterioration in the nine minutes between being conscious and loaded into the police van and subsequently being removed from the police van in an unconscious state," Ms Pietzner-Hagan said.
During a five-day inquest early next year coroner Stephanie Gallagher is set to consider the circumstances around Mr Kerle's death including whether it was appropriate to arrest him instead of issue a notice to appear and to use handcuffs.
The inquest will look into Mr Kerle's manual handling by officers and the monitoring of his health status.
