Chelsea Bridge: Police watchdog seeks witnesses after Tasered man dies

The police watchdog is appealing for witnesses following the death of a man who was pulled from the River Thames after being Tasered by officers.

The Met Police said it was called to reports of a man shouting on Chelsea Bridge Road, armed with a screwdriver, just after 09:00 BST on Saturday.

Officers used a Taser to try to restrain him but the man fled and ended up in the river. He later died.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating.

It is looking into the contact the Met Police had with the man, who was in his early 40s.

The IOPC said investigators had obtained accounts from the officers involved and secured police body-worn video footage.

IOPC regional director Sal Naseem said: "Our sympathies are with the family of the man who died and everyone else affected.

"We have already met with the man's family to explain our role and we will keep them regularly updated as our inquiries progress.

"While we have footage, we would appeal to people to get in touch with us without delay if they saw or recorded any part of the incident, either on the bridge, after the man came to be in the water or at Lambeth Pier when the man was taken there."

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