Man becomes unwell while in custody - Sussex Police, September 2016

In September 2016 Sussex Police received a call from a member of the public concerned about the behaviour of a man seen running in and out of the traffic. Police received a further call reporting that the man was “getting worse and was jumping in front of lorries”.

Officers arrived at the scene and attempted to pull the man out of the road but were unsuccessful. More officers arrived and managed to restrain the man, who was then arrested for being drunk and disorderly.

Following his arrival in custody the man was medically assessed and taken to hospital. While under examination, he suffered a medical episode and stopped breathing. Following emergency treatment, he was placed in a coma and discharged following a period of treatment.

Our investigators attended the scene of the incident and identified six members of the public who had witnessed the matter. They obtained witness statements from police officers, the man who was injured, members of the public and others. Investigators also analysed and compared CCTV footage, police officers’ body-worn camera footage and mobile phone footage, along with downloads from radio and telephone transmissions. They also obtained and reviewed medical experts’ reports. A medical consultant stated that, in his expert opinion, the man had had a cardiac arrest due to drug abuse, and police restraint was not a contributory factor.

The investigation concluded there was no indication any police officer had behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or had committed a criminal offence.