Man dies after he jumped into the River Thames after being Tasered THREE times by officers

A man who jumped from a bridge into the River Thames after being tasered three times by police officers has died.

The man, in his early 40s, was involved in a confrontation with officers from the Metropolitan Police on Chelsea Bridge yesterday morning.

Police were responding to reports that a man was ‘armed with a screwdriver and shouting’. 

The man was ‘challenged’ by officers on the bridge before a Taser was discharged, but this ‘did not enable the officers to safely detain him’, police said. 

He subsequently entered the water, where he was rescued and rushed to hospital in a critical condition.

But the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed today that the man died in hospital on Saturday evening.

IOPC director Steve Noonan said: ‘We have spoken to the man’s family to express our sincere condolences and explain our involvement. 

‘Our sympathies remain with them at this terrible time. 

‘Our independent investigation is underway into the police actions at the bridge and we have begun gathering and reviewing evidence.’ 

The man was in a confrontation with police officers from the Met on Chelsea Bridge on Saturday morning

Police were called to the scene in Chelsea Bridge Road, west London, at 9.03am today after receiving reports that a man was armed with a screwdriver and shouting

Commander Alexis Boon, of the Met’s Frontline Policing, said: ‘My thoughts are with the family of the man at this very difficult time. I offer my sincere condolences to them for their tragic loss.

‘Officers go to work every day to keep the public safe, and so any incident in which a person comes to harm following contact with police is understandably concerning.

‘Our officers face some of the most challenging and difficult situations daily, in doing so they are fully aware that their actions should rightly be subject to public scrutiny. 

‘The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards made an immediate referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct following this sad incident, and we will co-operate fully with them as they work to understand the full circumstances.’

A statement from the force added: ‘The IOPC have launched an independent investigation after police were called at 09.03am on Saturday 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 early 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 he died that evening.’

Footage of the incident showed one of the officers fire a Taser and the man fell to the floor, but proceeded to try and get up, at which point he was shocked a second time. 

He continued to try and get up and is shocked a third time, while officers shout at him to stay on the floor. 

The man then leaps over one of the barriers towards the edge of the bridge, pursued by a police officer, before vaulting over the railings and into the River Thames below.

The Met Police said yesterday it had referred itself to the IOPC to investigate the circumstances leading up to the use of the Taser. 

The Met’s own professional standards department has also launched an investigation.

Detective Chief Inspector Rory Wilkinson of the Met’s Central West BCU said on Saturday: ‘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.’