Horrific footage released by police shows a wheelchair-bound woman slurring and pleading with police as she is arrested for refusing to leave hospital, just moments before she died from a stroke in the back of a cop car.

Knoxville Police have released their body camera video of the harrowing incident which happened at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, in Tennessee, on February 6.

Lisa Edwards, 60, had been refusing to leave the hospital and was arrested on trespassing charges when she died in the back of the police cruiser – minutes after telling cops 'you're going to kill me'.

The footage shows Lisa being taken into custody, gasping and wheezing before she tells officers that she 'can't breathe'. Her skin becomes grayer, and her voice more slurred as the footage continues. The latter is a well-known symptom of a stroke.

Authorities released the hour and 16-minute video with a warning that some of the video may be distressing.