A man in his 20s has died after falling into the River Thames while being arrested by police. Officers on patrol were alerted to a verbal altercation between a man and woman, who were known to each other, on Kingston Bridge in Kingston upon Thames, south west London, at about 10.30pm on Friday.
In a statement the Metropolitan Police said an allegation of theft was made, reports MyLondon. It added: "Officers were in the process of arresting the man, believed to be aged in his 20s, when he entered the water. He had not been placed in handcuffs.
"A multi-agency response to locate the man was launched, involving the Met's Marine Policing Unit, National Police Air Service, London Fire Brigade and the RNLI. The man was recovered from the water at around 00:30hrs and treated by paramedics.
"Despite their efforts, he was pronounced dead. The man's family have been informed."
Police cordons remain in place in the area and enquiries are ongoing. The Met's Directorate of Professional Standards have made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: “My thoughts, and those of the Metropolitan Police Service, are with the friends and family of the man who has sadly lost his life following this incident.
“I fully appreciate the public will be very concerned. We, of course, share that concern.
“The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards made an immediate referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct as is protocol in any incident in which a person comes to harm following police contact.
“We will fully support the IOPC’s investigation.”
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