An independent investigation has been launched after a man died following being apprehended by Hackney police on Friday night.
Police chased 20-year-old Rashan Charles down Kingsland Road in Dalston at around 1.45am on Saturday morning. He ran into a shop and police say they saw him swallowing something. He was then apprehended by the police and tackled to the ground, after around a minute another plain clothes officer also holds him down.
A statement from the Metropolitan Police said: “The man entered a shop in Kingsland Road, where he was seen to be trying to swallow an object. The officer intervened and sought to prevent the man from harming himself, but he was then taken ill.”
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) were called to the scene at around 3.10am to conduct an independent investigation into the situation.
Press has been very quiet on the incident, with the situation only coming to light yesterday afternoon from a Twitter campaign sharing the CCTV footage and the hashtag #JusticeForRash began trending.
Investigators are keen to speak to any witnesses who were in the Kingsland Road/Middleton Road area of Hackney at this time. Witnesses can contact investigators by emailing [email protected]