New footage from inside Manchester Airport reveals the chaotic moments leading up to a controversial incident where a Greater Manchester Police officer appears to kick a man in the head.
The exclusive video, obtained by the Manchester Evening News, shows the events prior to the incident, which has sparked significant controversy and protests on social media. Previously shared footage depicted the officer kicking and stamping on the man’s head while he lay on the ground.
The new video captures the violent scenes between the involved individuals and police officers before this moment. At the beginning of the clip, a group of people can be seen gathered around a ticket machine inside the Terminal 2 car park.
Three police officers—one male and two females—are then seen walking through the group towards a man dressed in light blue who is facing the machine. One officer attempts to restrain the man by grabbing his hands.
The male officer proceeds to push the man’s head down while his two female colleagues stand beside him. Several people from the group then approached the scene.
One man appears to grab the male officer in an attempt to free the detained individual, leading to an exchange of punches between the officer and the man.
The man repeatedly punches the male officer, who is now on the ground. Meanwhile, the man dressed in light blue manages to break free from the female officer’s grasp.
He then throws several punches at the female officers, with the clip showing both women being struck in the head and face. At one point, one of the female officers is punched to the ground.
The male officer then holds his taser towards the man who had punched him. The second man runs at the officer from behind, throwing more punches as the officer holds his taser in the air.
The man grapples with the officer, bringing him to the ground before turning over onto his stomach and lying face down. A woman is seen kneeling beside him.
The officer then stands up and points his taser at the man. As seen in the widely shared footage, he appears to kick and then stamp on the man’s head as he lies on the ground.
The incident has led to several protests across the region. However, many public figures and those involved in the incident have called for calm.
On Friday night, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) announced that a police constable is under criminal investigation for assault. The IOPC emphasized that this does not necessarily mean criminal charges will follow.
The watchdog confirmed that after completing its investigation, a decision would be made regarding whether to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service.
