A man has been placed into a medically-induced coma after allegedly being kicked to the head during his arrest in Melbourne’s north.
Victoria police were called to Cooper street, Epping, to reports of a 32-year-old man behaving erratically about 4.10 p.m. on Sept. 13, a statement said.
“Upon arrival, the male allegedly became aggressive and damaged a police vehicle whilst attempting to avoid arrest,” police reported.
An internal police investigation has been launched after dramatic footage of Sunday’s arrest in Epping was posted online.
In the vision, a police officer appears to kick down on the prone man’s head before a group of police pin him down.
“Am I witnessing this? What the (explicit),” a witness yells out his car window.
“You’ve got his head.”
Other angles of the arrest show a police car ramming the man before he runs away and trades blows with an officer.
After being subdued with pepper spray, an officer appears to repeatedly kick the suspect on the ground.
He was later taken to hospital where his father says he was put into a coma while undergoing a head scan.
“He was stomped on or kicked by the police,” a man identified as his father told 3AW on Sept. 14.
“The police had no right to do what they did.”
He said his son suffers from bipolar and had been waiting for a bed at Northern Hospital Epping.
He ran outside to meet a work colleague which prompted hospital staff to call the police, the father added.
He’s now calling on Victoria Police to sack the officer who allegedly kicked his son.
“It’s disgusting,” he said.
“This bloke needs to be accountable. He needs to lose his job.
“Policeman like that should not be in the job.”
Professional Standards Command will review the arrest, police said in a statement on Sept. 14.
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