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A young bodybuilder who died during his arrest was allegedly pinned to the ground by police for a ‘considerable amount of time’.
Joel Grech, 24, died in Craigieburn, north of Melbourne, on Wednesday afternoon after he was detained on the footpath while resisting arrest over a savage attack on an elderly man, 72.
Witnesses claim Grech was lying face down with arresting officers ‘kneeling on his back for some time’.
Dashcam footage obtained by Channel 9 showed the frantic moment paramedics worked to try and revive Grech.
In a statement on Friday, a Victoria Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia officers from its Professional Standards Command, had launched an investigation into the death ‘as standard practice’,
Joel Grech allegedly attacked an elderly man and his son before dying on the footpath while being detained by police
Paramedics work to revive Grech who was allegedly pinned down for ‘a considerable time’ during his arrest
‘The investigation into the death of a 24-year-old man in Craigieburn on February 15 remains ongoing,’ she said.
‘The investigation will examine the complete timeline of the man’s movements that afternoon, including interactions with the public and police.’
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest the officers’ actions contributed to his death.
It can be revealed the 72-year old Craigieburn man had been set upon by Grech after he caught him breaking into his car.
But in a strange twist, the elderly man and his 33-year-old son were later arrested at the scene on suspicion of murdering Grech.
High profile criminal lawyer George Balot, of Balot Reilly Criminal Lawyers, told Daily Mail Australia Grech had knocked the 72-year old out cold before his son came to his aid.
Mr Balot was called in to represent the men after they were handed over to Homicide Squad detectives.
The men, who asked not to be named out of fear of reprisals from Grech’s associates, claimed the hulking Grech barely flinched after being struck in the shoulder with a bat by the man’s son, who had come to his father’s aid.
‘My client is an elderly salt of the earth family man well into his 70s, who was attempting to protect his property from a relentless, heavy set, muscular young man who was trying to smash his car window with a weapon during broad daylight in a quiet suburban street,’ Mr Balot told Daily Mail Australia.
Joel Grech, 24, died on the footpath after attacking an elderly man and his son
Forensic police attend the scene where Joel Grech died on Wednesday
Mr Balot said the elderly father confronted Grech before being knocked unconscious and sustaining shocking injuries.
‘His son came to his defence having seen his unconscious elderly father and struck the assailant to the shoulder, which had no effect on the stocky, relentless assailant,’ Mr Balot said.
The lawyer claimed Grech assaulted the man’s son before fleeing the scene.
Mr Balot said witnesses to Grech’s arrest after the attack claimed the officers had held him facedown on the footpath for a considerable time.
‘There are reports of aggressive resistance by (Grech) and the arresting police kneeling on his back for some time,’ Mr Balot said.
‘There are also various reports that he had been assaulted earlier in a different location by persons known to him.
‘One can’t speculate the cause of death.’
Neighbour Paul Townsend-Booth told reporters he saw Grech staggering down the street.
‘He had a graze mark on his forehead and he started walking down the middle of the road,’ he said.
‘It looked like he was under the influence of something.’
Joel Grech died after attacking an elderly man and his son in Melbourne on Wednesday
Mr Balot said a post mortem autopsy together with CCTV footage and eye witness accounts was likely to reveal the cause of Grech’s death.
‘My client has been interviewed and sensibly released by the homicide squad without charge. Both he and his family wish to express their condolences to the deceased’s family,’ Mr Balot said.
On Friday, tributes continued to flow for the dead bodybuilder.
‘I am completely heartbroken to hear we have lost you,’ his cousin posted to social media.
‘You always checked in on me mate, every single heavy metal concert & festival, you would single me out & find me. We always promised one another that we would have a tatted up cousin photo shoot, but your life has been cut short in the most horrific of ways.
‘What you achieved in your bodybuilding career was so admirable mate, I hate that God has chosen to take you when you had so much potential. I hate that I won’t see my cousin at the next metal concert, that we will never get to do our photo shoot, that you’re no longer going to send me links to the latest metal song or Parkway Drive concert, I hate that your mum has to say goodbye to you, but I take solace in knowing you’re going be with your Dad again.’
Anyone with further information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
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