The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards are investigating an incident which left a man in a critical condition having been rescued from the Thames.
Police were called at around 9on Saturday, 4 June, to a report of a disturbance in Chelsea Bridge Road, SW1. It was reported that a man was armed with a screwdriver and shouting at the location.
Officers attended the location a short time later, and they challenged a man on Chelsea Bridge. A Taser was discharged but this did not enable the officers to safely detain him.
The man, who is believed to be aged in his 40s, subsequently entered the river. A rescue operation was immediately organised. The man was rescued from the water by the RNLI and taken to hospital, where his condition has been assessed as critical.
Officers are in the process of contacting the man’s family. They will be supported by specialist officers.
The circumstances of this incident are being investigated by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards. A referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Detective Chief Inspector Rory Wilkinson of the Met’s Central West BCU said: “My thoughts are with this man, who is extremely unwell in hospital. Officers are making every effort to make contact with his family.
“I understand that there are always concerns about incidents in which people come to harm having been in contact with police. All Met officers know that they are accountable for their actions, and a full investigation is under way to establish exactly what happened.”
