A video shared online sparked a complaint against a police force for an incident where an officer appeared to restrain a suspect by the neck. The viral footage captured a group of Merseyside Police officers detaining a young man outside a residence. In the video, four officers are shown trying to enter a house before escorting the suspect out. They then pin his arms behind his back and bring him to the ground, as per the Liverpool Echo.
The footage also shows an officer apparently punching the suspect’s head. Additionally, a woman sitting on garden furniture is detained by two officers, while in the background, other officers arrest another man. The person recording the video, a woman in a neighboring property’s front garden, moves closer to film an officer with his hand on the suspect’s neck.
The woman’s voice can be heard shouting “disgusting, disgusting” and urging the officers to release the suspect’s neck, as she claims they have restrained him. Towards the end of the video, she mentions that the suspect is saying he cannot breathe due to pressure on his neck. The incident occurred on Gilbert Street in Liverpool’s Baltic area, just before 1 pm on Monday.
A Merseyside Police spokesperson stated that due to the complaint, they could not provide further comments at that time. The internal handling of the complaint indicates that the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is not involved at this stage. However, two men were arrested, and a woman was charged following the incident after officers attempted a stop check.
According to the spokesperson, at around 12:50 pm, officers tried to stop a man who fled on foot on Gilbert Street and discarded an item over a fence into a garden. After further investigation, the suspect, along with another man and woman, were apprehended, and various bikes were seized. A 22-year-old man was arrested for criminal property acquisition and drug possession, while a 24-year-old man was arrested for obstructing a constable. The woman, Rachael Taylor, 50, was charged with assaulting a constable and drug possession, scheduled to appear in court on July 17.