'Police need our support': Scotland Yard commander slams 'selective' videos of arrests - after 30-second clip showing black man shouting 'I can't breathe' while being detained 'after attacking officers' is shared online
- North West Commander Roy Smith slammed 'partial' recording of arrests
- Social media video shows Met police arresting black man in Wembley yesterday
- Man is seen pinned to the ground by officers and complaining 'I can't breathe'
By
JACK WRIGHT FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 20:48 BST, 23 July 2020 | UPDATED: 21:33 BST, 23 July
A Scotland Yard commander has slammed the selective recording of arrests by passersby after a 30-second video was uploaded to social media today showing a black man shouting 'I can't breathe' while being detained after attacking police.
North West Area Commander Roy Smith said police 'need our support' as he revealed the man was detained after he attacked the officers and 'did not want to cooperate' with them 'in any way' in Wembley, north-west London yesterday.
Footage of the incident at around 11am shows two Met police officers struggling to detain the black man as his friends stand by and film the arrest.
As the man falls to the ground with both officers, a passerby shouts: 'Officer! Don't put your f***ing knee on his neck! Don't f***ing put your knee on his neck!'
The group continues filming the arrest as the black man then rolls on his back and puts one of the Met officers holding handcuffs in a headlock.
'I can't breathe': Metropolitan Police arrest man in Wembley
Footage of an incident in Wembley, north-west London at 11am yesterday shows two officers struggling to detain a man as his friends film the arAs the man falls to the ground with both officers, a passerby shouts: 'Officer! Don't put your f***ing knee on his neck! Don't f***ing put your knee on his neck!' As the officers pin him to the ground and attempt to put handcuffs on the suspect, the man complains 'I can't breathe'
One man can be heard scolding the policemen: 'You lot did this you know. You lot escalated it. You lot did this you know.'
As the two officers appear to pin him to the ground and attempt to put handcuffs on the suspect, the man complains 'I can't breathe'.
A passerby shouts at the officers 'there's two of you and one of him' before a third policeman arrives and pushes people out of the way.
The end of the video, which captured just 30 seconds of the 15-minute incident, then shows police searching the man's parked car.
But the video does not show the man attacking officers who want to search him for drugs before the arrest, according to Scotland Yard.
It also does not show the injuries suffered by the police, with one officer requiring hospital treatment after being spat at in the eye.
Responding to the footage today, North West Area Commander Roy Smith defended police actions in Wembley yesterday as 'lawful' and 'proportionate' and slammed 'partial footage of incidents' recorded by passersby during arrests.
The commander also cast doubt on the man's inability to breathe, pointing out that 'he was able to resist the officers and communicate with them clearly'.
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North West Area Commander Roy Smith of the Metropolitan Police today defended police actions in Wembley yesterday morning as 'lawful' and 'proportionate' and slammed 'partial footage of incidents' recorded by passersby during arrests
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The end of the video, which captured just 30 seconds of the 15-minute incident, then shows police searching the man's parked car. But the video does not show the man attacking officers who want to search him for drugs before the arrest. It also does not show the injuries suffered by the police, with one officer requiring hospital treatment after being spat at in the eye
In a statement, Commander Smith said: 'I am aware of the footage, which shows approximately 30 seconds of an encounter which lasted over 15 minutes; and have personally viewed the body worn video taken by my officers.
'Officers were on routine patrol when they stopped the driver of a vehicle, who was informed that he was being detained for the purposes of a search under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. He was not handcuffed.
'The driver pushed one of the officers in the chest and grabbed at the second officer's PAVA spray. Officers subsequently detained the man and a Taser was deployed due to his behaviour.
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Responding to the footage, North West Area Commander Roy Smith said police 'need our support' as he revealed the man was detained after he attacked the officers and 'did not want to cooperate' with them 'in any way'
'The officers were struggling on the ground with the man and surrounded by a crowd, some of whom filmed the incident.
'The man was arrested for obstruction of a drugs search and assaulting an emergency worker. He was taken to Colindale Police Station and later released under investigation.
'At one point in the social media footage the arrested man can be heard to comment that he could not breathe. It is not clear to me why this might be the case, given he was able to resist the officers and communicate with them clearly. In line with their training, the officers moved the man onto his side at the earliest opportunity ensuring his airways were not obstructed.
'Two officers suffered minor injuries during the incident, with one requiring hospital treatment having been spat at in the eye.
'Partial footage of incidents and related commentary can cause concern for everyone. In this case, having seen the footage, I am of the opinion that the officers were trying their best with a man who did not want to cooperate with them in any way. Officers need our support.
'We expect them to police our streets without fear or favour; to uphold the law and act with professionalism and restraint. Despite being assaulted and subjected to completely unnecessary abuse, I believe these officers did just that.
'When we get it wrong we are committed to listening and learning and officers accept that they should be subject to appropriate scrutiny. Where they act lawfully and proportionately to uphold the law it is only right that we defend those actions.'
