The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has reported a man who was shot with a Taser in London and had to be rescued from the Thames.
Police were called to Chelsea Bridge Road, west London, on Saturday morning after receiving reports that a man was armed with a screwdriver and shouting.
When officers arrived shortly afterwards, metropolitan police said they had challenged a man to Chelsea Bridge and fired a stun gun, but this “did not allow officers to stop him safely”.
The 40-year-old man “later entered the river,” police said, and was rescued by the RLLI, who took him to hospital, where his condition was assessed as critical.
The IOPC said on Sunday that the man had died at the hospital and that there was an independent investigation.
Police Surveillance Director Steve Noonan said: “We spoke to the man’s family to express our condolences and to explain our involvement. Our sympathies continue with them at this terrible time.
“Our independent investigation is underway into police actions on the bridge and we have begun gathering and reviewing evidence.”
The video of the incident posted online shows two officers confronting the man, who falls to the ground after the stun gun has been fired.
After fighting, the man gets up and runs to the side of the bridge and throws himself over the edge before any of the officers can reach him.
Commander Alexis Boon said: “My thoughts are with the man’s family at this difficult time. I offer my deepest condolences for their tragic loss.
“Officers will work every day to maintain public safety, so any incident in which a person is harmed after contact with the police is understandably worrisome.
“Our agents face some of the most difficult and difficult situations on a daily basis, in doing so they are fully aware that their actions should be subject to public scrutiny.
“Met’s professional standards management made an immediate referral to the Independent Police Conduct Office after this sad incident, and we will cooperate fully with them as they work to understand all the circumstances.”
Police use of stun guns, commonly known as Tasers, has been the subject of much controversy in the past. The IOPC found in February that a Met police officer who shot a 10-year-old girl with such a weapon should face serious misconduct proceedings. The officer fired at the girl in south-west London following reports that he had been threatening a woman with garden shears and a hammer.
The following month, an officer was charged with grievous bodily harm after a man was shot with a Taser and paralyzed from the chest down. Met Territorial Support Group agents had arrested 25-year-old Jordan Walker-Brown for two consecutive days on May 3 and 4, 2020, and were both found carrying a small amount of cannabis for use. staff. He was jumping over a wall, which was about 1.2 meters high on one side, but with a drop of 1.8 meters on the other, when he was hit by the Taser. Then he fell over the wall.
A social worker who was shot with a Taser and knocked unconscious during a road stop last month said police had treated him like a “wild animal”. Edwin Afriyie, 36, is suing London City Police after suffering a head injury and suicidal thoughts as a result of the incident.
The latest incident comes when Home Secretary Priti Patel announced that special agents will have access to stun guns as part of a series of new criminal initiatives. The UK’s Amnesty International police expert said in response that arming volunteer officers was dangerous and would inevitably lead to “more cases of misuse, serious damage and Taser deaths”.