A 23-year-old labourer who jumped from a bridge to avoid prosecution battled with his girlfriend before his death.
Liam Allan and his girlfriend, Caitlin, were in Kingston, south-west London, on Friday. After 10.30pm, he dove into the water near Bill’s restaurant on Riverside Walk.
They argued about his missing keys and phone. Police intervened as the altercation escalated.
Caitlin was being examined by police 100 metres from Kingston Bridge when she heard Allan’s ‘huge splash.’
She raced to Kingston Bridge, where she spotted him swimming away from police, but police held her back.
Two hours later, Mr. Allan’s corpse was recovered from the sea and CPR was attempted.
Now, after his death, the 23-year-father old’s has criticised authorities for not going into the ‘waist deep water’ to rescue him.
The devastated father said police informed some family members Mr. Allan was dead while giving others ‘false hope’
The family awaits the IOPC’s inquiry conclusions but fears evidence may be lost.
Ethan Adami-Clack, 17, met Mr Allan and Caitlin for drinks on Friday.
Ethan stopped drinking early in the night since he knew Allan and Caitlin had a volatile relationship.
As an altercation between Allan and Caitlin escalated 30 minutes before his death, the adolescent departed.
Mr Adami-Clack said, ‘It wasn’t serious.’ Caitlin had Liam’s phone and keys, but they were inebriated.
Caitlin was being interviewed by police 100m from the bridge when Allan jumped in.
The youngster claimed Caitlin attempted to leap after her boyfriend, but cops pulled her back.
Officers lost sight of Mr. Allan as he crossed the second arch of Kingston Bridge. Police allegedly didn’t utilise the red river life ring.
Mr Adami-Clack remarked, “We’re awaiting bodycam video.” Until then, I’m piecemealing the plot.
He continued, ‘He leapt in believing he’d get to the other side.’
James ‘Jamie’ Allan, Mr. Allan’s father, says cops should have dived in since the water was just waist deep.
Jamie returned to the spot after the disaster and tested the river’s depth.
He stated it didn’t reach his neck until the middle and wondered why cops didn’t leap in.
He said officers dragged Caitlin out of the water when she tried to help him, contradicting reports that they prevented her from entering.
He said the officer just watched and told Caitlin he’d be fine because they could see him.
Jamie said, “Liam was out drinking in Kingston with his brother and girlfriend when he and his girlfriend got into a fight on the bridge.”
‘Police were hailed down, one was chatting to his partner, so another brought him down the riverfront stairs.
‘
Liam approached the riverbank as they spoke to him.
‘As the radio announced Liam’s arrest, I heard he was in the river. I don’t know how, but they arrested him in the water. And the cops just watched him.
I leaped into the river where he did. I put my waist in it. It’s not deep; the officer could have gone after him and gotten soaked.
‘I went far before my neck became soaked.
‘Also, his girlfriend went in to save him, but they only saved her.
“Don’t worry, we can see him, he’ll be OK,” they told her. What happened?’
Jamie said some family members were informed he was dead and others didn’t know.
He claimed, “Police informed us he was dead the night it occurred.”
They gave us false hope since they informed his mother he was dead.
‘They say Liam was calm throughout, didn’t raise his voice. They merely stated he slipped into the water without explaining what occurred.
Why did cops take him to the river?
His girlfriend constantly called the police on him, therefore it wasn’t a theft. What would he do?’
Mr Allan’s relatives told MyLondon he had been drinking but was ‘cool’ with cops.
Police claim he wasn’t shackled based on body camera video.
Jamie remarked, “I’m broken.” He was bouncy. He spoke with everyone. He was selfless.
Good child. So hard… He had huge aspirations and was excellent, I’m told.’
Jamie thinks the probe may lose evidence.
To be quite honest, I’m sad and unsure of what to do. Not knowing as well is what’s getting to me,’ he said. I have a gut sense that some of the bodycam video will be removed, censored, or somehow altered.
Mr. Allan, who worked for a construction business but dreamed of becoming a rapper, left behind his sister Jessica, 5, and his brother Tyler, 14, as well as a brother and two sisters on his mother’s side.
By the Kingston scene, tributes for Mr. Allan were also laid. Mr. Adami-Clack addressed his brother’s six-month relationship with Caitlin during his remarks at the burial service.
The youngster said, “He and her were really really rocky; they loved one other dearly but weren’t good for each other.”
He often relocated, living in Tolworth, Feltham, Staines, and most recently, Ashford, where he had been residing for almost a year.
“I was talking to his neighbours about how he used to be, and they claimed that a year ago, when he first came here, he was such a kind guy; he was a different character.”
“It’s simply been the strangest place ever since he met his girlfriend there around six months ago.”
They had an altercation before the cops arrived and broke down the door since the home had been destroyed.
He secured the door with a padlock and a board of wood. You cannot live in such a way.
They ruined several phones as well, forcing him to use a brick phone since they kept breaking. They wrecked roughly eight TVs.
I should mention that before to her, he had no criminal record.
I’m not entirely blaming her for what happened since he was just as terrible and sometimes used manipulation to get what he wanted from her. But he was a truly wonderful man, according to those who knew him.
Despite the fact that their fights led to his getting evicted, he never beat her or did anything else inappropriate.
“Liam had a difficult upbringing; he often ran away from home.” We were able to remove him from care after he continued escaping.
Mr. Adami-Clack recalls waking up in the middle of the night to learn of his brother’s death.
I awoke around one in the morning on Saturday after hearing the news from my mother. I didn’t believe her when she woke me up by shouting and weeping as she opened the door for the cops.
I was perplexed since they didn’t offer us enough details about what occurred at the time. To find out more, it took hours.
He said, “He was the most lovely and compassionate guy, and he made everyone around him smile.”
The IOPC said that it has started collecting and examining evidence, including video of the encounter between the police and Mr. Allan.
The death of another man, Oladeji Adeyemi Omishore, 41, who committed himself by jumping over Chelsea Bridge on June 4 after being Tasered three times by police, is already under investigation.
The complete statement from the Met Officers reads as follows: “On Friday, August 26, at about 22:30 hours, police on regular patrol were flagged down on Kingston Bridge to a verbal argument between a male and a woman who knew one another.
‘There was a theft allegation. The man, who is thought to be in his 20s, was being arrested by police when he jumped into the water. He wasn’t restrained by handcuffs.
The National Police Air Service, the London Fire Brigade, the RNLI, and the Met’s Marine Policing Unit all participated in the multi-agency search for the individual.
The guy was pulled from the sea about 00:30 and given medical attention. They made an attempt, but he was declared dead. Family of the man has been notified.
There are still police cordons in place, and inquiries are underway. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has received a referral from The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards.
“My sympathies, and those of the Metropolitan Police Service, are with the friends and family of the individual who regrettably lost his life as a result of this tragedy,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor.
“I totally understand the public’s great anxiety.” Of course, that worry is shared by us. As is customary in any event when someone is harmed after coming into contact with the police, The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards immediately referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
We pledge to assist the IOPC’s inquiry in full.
According to an IOPC statement, investigators attended the police post-incident procedures to get the officers involved’ first-person testimonies.
“We have already started collecting and examining the material, including video of the encounter between the cops and the individual.
“The man’s loved ones and everyone impacted by his passing are in our thoughts,” the statement reads.
It follows the death in the hospital earlier this year of a 41-year-old man who had jumped from a bridge into the River Thames after being Tasered three times by police.
On June 4, Pimlico resident Oladeji Adeyemi Omishore, 41, got into a fight with Met Police officers on Chelsea Bridge.
A startling video shows the guy screaming at two police officers while clutching what seems to be a plastic and metal firelighter in his right hand.
The guy gets stunned once again as he tries to stand up after one of the police uses a Taser and he collapses to the ground.
Police yell at him to remain on the ground as he tries to get up again and is shocked a third time.
A police officer follows the guy as he jumps over one of the barricades and makes his way to the edge of the bridge before he jumps over the railings and into the River Thames below.
He was pulled from the sea by the RNLI after a rescue effort was begun when he fell from the bridge.
The next day, he passed away in the hospital.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has begun an inquiry into the incident after receiving a referral from the Met.
The use of the Taser “amounted to excessive use of force,” according to Mr. Omishore’s family, therefore it is “incomprehensible” that the cops involved are not being looked into for any professional misconduct or criminal charges.
According to an IOPC official, “Oladeji Omishore’s family and friends remain in our thoughts and prayers.”
“Our investigation into the events leading up to his death is moving along nicely, and our detectives are continuing to gather and analyse crucial evidence,” said the team.
Although we regularly assess conduct issues, at this point there is no evidence that any of the participating officers may have violated police professional standards or committed a crime.
We keep in touch with Mr. Omishore’s family in order to inform them of our development.