A Sliema man who died early yesterday morning in Paceville was probably dead before he was run over by a taxi, investigators believe.

Mario Galea, 47, was involved in an argument with two men he knew well and ended up sprawled in the middle of Paceville Avenue at about 3.40 a.m. suffering from severe head injuries before a white taxi drove over him.

The police have detained two men in connection with the case. One is from Victoria and the other from St Julian-s, both 28, and the police believe they were involved in the argument with Mr Galea.

It is not clear what the argument was about but sources said it could be “family-related”.

The police, who spoke to the taxi driver at length, believe he had not seen Mr Galea on the ground because he was distracted by a commotion as he turned into Paceville Avenue.

Mr Galea is believed to have been beaten up during the argument and probably suffered a severe blow to his head when he fell on the ground just before the taxi arrived.

Civil Protection Department personnel were called in to help jack the taxi up to remove Mr Galea’s body from underneath.

Investigators are going through CCTV footage of nearby retail outlets to establish exactly what happened.

An autopsy  was held this morning but the outcome was not definitive and more tests need to be carried out.

Duty Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna was informed and appointed several court experts to assist him in the inquiry into the death.

Police investigations are conducted by Keith Arnaud, head of the criminal investigation department.