PC ruptured knee in Taser incident, coroner told

A police officer ruptured his knee during a scuffle with a man who was Tasered and later died, an inquest heard.

Sali Byberi is alleged to have assaulted the constable while high on cocaine and resisting arrest at his home in Braintree on 21 November 2022.

The 29-year-old was Tasered during an altercation but subsequently became unwell and died at the scene.

Giving evidence at Essex coroner's court, one officer said they were forced to make "split-second decisions" in an increasingly dangerous situation.

A jury was previously told Mr Byberi's provisional cause of death was "complications resulting from acute cocaine toxicity".

The father-of-three ran a family car-wash business in Sudbury, Suffolk.

Police were called to a disturbance in Clockhouse Way at about 11:30 GMT on the day of his death.

The inquest has already been told Mr Byberi was spooked by the officers attending.

A male officer, speaking under the pseudonym G1, said Mr Byberi was "erratic and difficult to communicate with" upon arrival.

"His voice was raised then lower, raised then lower. It was difficult to build a rapport with him," he said.

G1 told jurors that a knuckleduster was found in Mr Byberi's living room.

He explained: "I was starting to become more concerned with his behaviour and what he was going to do."

The officer said he drew his Taser when Mr Byberi "significantly pushed" him at the property, but the two were too close in proximity for the device to be used.

"He hit me to the left side of my body. He was trying to get free from arrest at that point and I was making split-second decisions," G1 said.

The court was told a second officer, under the name of R7, discharged her Taser which caused Mr Byberi to bring G1 to the floor with him.

However, the device had not been "completely effective" and R7 discharged it a second time, the jury heard.

"Subsequently, I found I had a fully ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in my knee... It gave way and incapacitated me," G1 added, explaining his knee had been previously "vulnerable" to injury.

He said two further police officers arrived as back-up and managed to handcuff Mr Byberi, who was exclaiming "you're going to kill me".

G1 added he called for an ambulance, with video footage already seen by the jury showing Mr Byberi later being assisted by paramedics.

Despite treatment, he was pronounced dead at about 13:15.

The inquest continues.

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