Man dies after being restrained by police while ‘unwell and distressed’ in London

Man, 44, was taken to hospital in a critical condition and died the following day

A man has died after being restrained by police while he was “unwell and distressed”.

The 44-year-old man, who has not been named, was taken to hospital in a critical condition following the incident on Thursday.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said he died in hospital the following day.

The watchdog said Metropolitan Police officers had responded to a report of a disturbance at an address in Haringey, London. at around 7.30pm on Thursday.

“Officers attended and found a man who appeared to be unwell and distressed,” a spokesperson added.

Read more:

• Police neglect contributed to death of man restrained by officers, inquest finds
• Mohamud Mohammed Hassan: Death of black man after night in Cardiff police custody sparks protests
• Five police officers investigated for alleged manslaughter of man restrained inside hospital

“The man was restrained by officers and the London Ambulance Service was called. Officers, then joined by paramedics, provided first aid after he appeared to become unresponsive and he was then taken to hospital, where he later sadly died.”

The IOPC has reviewed body-worn footage from police officers and taken accounts from those at the scene, as well as from a man who had initially called the police.

IOPC regional director Sal Naseem said it was independently investigating the circumstances of the incident.

“This is a tragic incident and our thoughts are with this man’s family and friends and all those affected by his death,” he added.

“Our investigation is still in its early stages and we continue to gather evidence to establish what happened.

“At this stage all of the police officers involved are being treated as witnesses.”

The Metropolitan Police said it initially received reports of a “loud disturbance including threats of violence at a residential address”.

A spokesperson said the man’s medical condition had worsened “prior to the arrival” of officers and they gave him first aid before paramedics arrived.

Det Ch Supt Treena Fleming, who is in charge of policing for Haringey, said: “We are all truly saddened by this development, and my thoughts and those of my officers remain with the man’s family.

“We are fully co-operating with the IOPC, who are investigating the events of that evening.

“I would again ask that people do not speculate until this investigation has had as much time as it needs to establish what happened.”

The man is the sixth person to have died in police custody, or following police contact, so far this year in England and Wales according to statistics compiled by Inquest.