Man who 'attacked people and threw himself on cars' dies after being restrained by police in London

Man 'became unresponsive' after being restrained

The man died after being restrained at the ExCel London conference centre on 31 July (Google Streetview)

A man has died after being restrained by police and security guards at a convention centre in London.

Officers were first called to reports of a man attacking people in the middle of a road in Canning Town early on Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said.

“Further reports were received that the man was acting irrationally, throwing himself onto passing cars and confronting council workers,” they added. “The man was then reported to be running towards the ExCel Centre. Officers attended and found the man being restrained by security staff at the centre.

“The man was placed in handcuffs by officers, but became unresponsive. Officers immediately administered first aid and London Ambulance Service were called.”

The unnamed man, believed to be 37, was taken to hospital but died a short time later.

A security guard from the ExCel London, which hosts large exhibitions, conventions and conferences, was treated at hospital for bite injuries.

Investigators cordoned off two nearby locations linked to the incident.

The Metropolitan Police referred the incident to its Directorate of Professional Standards and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The watchdog said it had launched an independent investigation.

“We have sent investigators to the scene and to post incident procedures and have begun to gather evidence,” an IOPC spokesperson said.

A representative of the ExCeL London declined to comment.

There were 23 deaths in police custody across England and Wales in 2017-18, up from 14 the previous year.

Of those, 12 were identified as having mental health concerns and 18 had a known link to alcohol or drugs.

The figure includes people who have been detained in public, a vehicle, hospital or taken in custody.