The police watchdog is investigating into the death of a man in his twenties who died after falling from a bridge into the Thames while being arrested.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) says it has began collecting and evaluating information, including video of the officers’ encounter with the guy.
It is already looking into the death of another man, 41-year-old Oladeji Adeyemi Omishore, who leaped from Chelsea Bridge on June 4 after being Tasered three times by police officers.
Officers were on normal patrol in Kingston-upon-Thames Friday night when they were notified to a verbal dispute between a man and a woman at around 10:30 p.m., according to the Met Police.
Officers were on their way to apprehend the guy when he entered the water.
His body was discovered around 12.30 a.m. this morning, but despite the best efforts of paramedics, he was pronounced dead.
The man’s family has been notified, and investigations are ongoing.
Police cordons are still in place near Kingston Bridge.
The full Met Police statement reads: ‘At around 22:30hrs on Friday, 26 August, police on routine patrol were flagged down on Kingston Bridge to a verbal altercation involving a man and a woman who were known to each other.
‘An allegation of theft was made. Officers were in the process of arresting the man, believed to be aged in his 20s, when he entered the water. He had not been placed in handcuffs.
‘A multi-agency response to locate the man was launched, involving the Met’s Marine Policing Unit, National Police Air Service, London Fire Brigade and the RNLI.
‘The man was recovered from the water at around 00:30hrs and treated by paramedics. Despite their efforts, he was pronounced dead. The man’s family have been informed.
‘Police cordons remains in place and enquiries are ongoing. The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards have made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.’
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: ‘My thoughts, and those of the Metropolitan Police Service, are with the friends and family of the man who has sadly lost his life following this incident.
‘I fully appreciate the public will be very concerned. We of course share that concern. The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards made an immediate referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct as is protocol in any incident in which a person comes to harm following police contact.
‘We will fully support the IOPC’s investigation.’
A statement from the IOPC said: ‘IOPC investigators attended the police post-incident procedures to obtain initial accounts from the officers involved.
‘We have now begun the process of gathering and reviewing evidence, including footage of the interaction between officers and the man.
‘Our thoughts are with the man’s loved ones and all those affected by his death.’
It comes after a 41-year-old man died in hospital earlier this year after jumping from a bridge into the River Thames when he was Tasered three times by police officers.
Oladeji Adeyemi Omishore, 41, from Pimlico was involved in a confrontation with Met Police officers on Chelsea Bridge on June 4.
A disturbing video shows the man, who appeared to be clutching a something in his right hand – allegedly a plastic and metal firelighter – yelling at two police officers.
One of the police shoots a Taser, and the man falls on the ground. He attempts to get up, and is shocked a second time.
He tries to get up again and gets shocked a third time, as cops yell at him to remain on the floor.
The man then jumps over one of the barricades at the bridge’s edge, chased by a police officer, before vaulting over the railings and into the Thames below.
After falling from the bridge, a rescue effort was begun, and the RNLI recovered him from the sea.
He died the next day in the hospital.
The incident was forwarded to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which has now opened an inquiry.
Mr Omishore’s family called it “incomprehensible” that the cops involved were not probed for professional misconduct or criminal charges, claiming that the Taser usage amounted to “excessive use of force.”
An IOPC spokesperson said: ‘Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the family and friends of Oladeji Omishore.
‘Our investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death is progressing well and our investigators are continuing to gather and analyse key evidence.
‘At this early stage, we have no indication that any of the officers involved may have breached police professional standards or committed a criminal offence, although we keep conduct matters constantly under review.
‘We continue to liaise with Mr Omishore’s family to update them on our progress.’