Manchester taser arrest: Andy Burnham calls for urgent review after man stunned by police in front of young child
Mayor questions whether action was justified or proportionate
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Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has asked the police watchdog to investigate an incident which saw an officer taser a man in front of his young child. Andy Burnham, the city's mayor, has also called for an urgent review of whether the stun-gun use was justified.
Footage of the incident shows the child screaming “daddy” as the man falls face-first to the ground after being tasered at a petrol station.
The video goes on to show the man being ordered to put his hands behind his back while he is on the floor as an officer carries the child out of shot.
Police said 34-year-old Desmond Ziggy Mombeyarara had been charged with various offences, including driving at excess speed, unnecessary travel and being unfit to drive through drink.
GMP confirmed a taser was used during his arrest and said it had been voluntarily referred to the Independence Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
The referral followed a review by GMP’s professional standards branch and would “ensure transparency and independence in terms of reviewing the circumstances of the arrest”.
Superintendent Mark Kenny said: “We are aware of public concern regarding this arrest and I want to reassure the public that this matter is being reviewed and treated seriously.”
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, said he had been “concerned” after watching footage of the incident and had asked police to offer an explanation as to what had happened.
“From what I have been told, it would appear that the officers were right to apprehend the individual,” he said.
“But it is not at all clear that the level of force used in this instance, particularly in front of a child, was proportionate or justified and that is why I have asked for an urgent and independent review to be carried out.”
Police said they pulled the man over at about 11pm on Wednesday after they “observed a vehicle being driven unsafely at high speed” in Stretford, Greater Manchester.
Mr Mombeyarara, of Cornbrook Park Road, Old Trafford, was due to appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
His charges also include failing to stop and resisting a constable in the execution of their duty.
GMP said in an update on Friday that the child was taken to a “close family member to be looked after, following consultation with the father” following the arrest.
Additional reporting by Press Association