Coroner backs cops over man's fiery death

The death of an armed man in a fiery siege in Adelaide could not have been prevented, a coroner has found.

Pellegrino Trotta, 53, died surrounded by police and firefighters after he broke into a smash repair shop armed with a knife.

He repeatedly crashed a car inside the building in Adelaide's northeast, causing it to catch fire, in September 2011.

After his death, Mr Trotta's family were critical of police, saying officers could have done more to save him.

But South Australian Coroner Mark Johns says Mr Trotta's death was caused by his own "chaotic and dangerous" behaviour.

"It was a dangerous, volatile situation," Mr Johns said in his finding on Monday.

"Mr Trotta had a vehicle which he could possibly have freed and used as a weapon against police.

"He had a knife. He had any number of other potentially dangerous devices that could have been used as weapons."

The coroner heard that Mr Trotta behaved erratically in the weeks leading up to his death, and that methamphetamine use and mental health issues might have contributed to his behaviour.

In the lead up to the incident, witnesses reported seeing Mr Trotta walking near the shop armed with a knife and pole, throwing bricks at buildings and cars and asking for help.

Mr Johns said negotiations with Mr Trotta might have been successful if it weren't for the fire.

"While his family's grief and distress is entirely understandable, in my view it is inappropriate to be critical of SAPOL (police) and its approach to the incident," the coroner said.