Fight with police ends in coma

By PAUL YANDALL

A man is in a coma in hospital after being restrained by police officers during a disturbance in Auckland.

The 54-year-old was taken by ambulance to the Auckland Hospital emergency department after falling unconscious while police tried to restrain him about 7 pm on Sunday.

St John Ambulance staff said the man arrived at hospital in a critical condition. He is reported to be in a stable but serious condition and is still comatose.

Details of the incident are sketchy. Police have refused to reveal who the man is, describing him only as a Greenlane resident, and refused to say where the incident happened in Greenlane.

In 1994, an Auckland man died after being restrained by police following a disturbance.

Matthew Francis Innes, a 22-year-old psychiatric patient, died in hospital a week after he stopped breathing and lost consciousness in the back seat of a police car taking him to Kingseat Hospital.

Detective Senior Sergeant Andy Lovelock, the Auckland policeman investigating Sunday's incident, said officers were alerted by Greenlane residents who complained of a severely psychotic man on their property armed with a brick about 6.30 pm.

The man was initially restrained by three residents, one of whom was an off-duty police officer.

On-duty officers reached the scene about 6.50 pm.

Detective Senior Sergeant Lovelock said the man was struggling against those holding him, so attending police officers used handcuffs to restrain him.

He said the man was not placed in a police car during the incident.

"Shortly after he was restrained he lost consciousness.

"[He] was immediately uncuffed before CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was carried out on him by police."

Ambulance staff were alerted about 7 pm and police staff continued to administer first aid until they arrived.

Senior police were notified and Detective Senior Sergeant Lovelock arrived at the scene to investigate about 8.30 pm.

The Police Complaints Authority was notified yesterday and is expected to begin an investigation this week.

Detective Senior Sergeant Lovelock said it was not clear whether the coma was caused by unreasonable force used by police in restraining the man or whether it was induced by a medical condition.

"We're looking into it ... That's exactly what the experts are trying to determine," he said.

"This investigation is to do with whether there are any criminal [actions] ... or any culpability with anyone and everyone involved, including the patient himself."

He said police had spoken to a number of witnesses, a few of whom had yet to be fully interviewed.

Auckland police spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty said the man's medical history would be investigated to check if he suffered from any condition.

She said the off-duty police officer became involved only by chance.

The injured man had apparently wandered through the officer's property.

Ms Hegarty said the off-duty officer helped two others to restrain the man until police arrived.

Detective Senior Sergeant Lovelock said the officers involved in the incident were still on normal duty.