According to the police watchdog, a patient was admitted to Whittington Hospital’s intensive care unit on Monday after being left in a “critical condition.”
The man, said to be in his fifties, was arrested in Camden earlier that day after allegedly ‘behaving erratically,” setting his clothes on fire,’ and threatening members of the public.
He was then taken to a facility in north London, where he became ‘agitated’ and was restrained by officers before passing out.
The Independent Council for Police Conduct (IOPC) will now conduct an investigation, with the patient currently in a “critical but stable condition” as a result of the interaction.
An independent investigation into the actions of Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers during an incident where a man was restrained at a hospital in north London on Monday 3 April is underway,’ said the IOPC.
‘From what we understand, the man is still in critical but stable condition in the hospital.
On Monday morning, MPS officers responded to reports from members of the public of a man behaving erratically and setting his clothes on fire on Euston Road, NW1.
‘The man was taken to the medical facility to be assessed where he became agitated at times and later officers have used PAVA spray and restrained him. The man became unconscious and was taken to the hospital.
‘From what we understand, the man is still in critical but stable condition in the hospital.’
The investigation comes at a time when Britain’s largest police force is shifting officers away from serious crime and towards internal standards in an effort to clean up its workforce.
In a major review commissioned after serving officer Wayne Couzens murdered 33-year-old Sarah Everard, the Metropolitan Police were labelled institutionally racist, sexist, and homophobic.