Two police officers have been served with misconduct notices after a 17-year-old girl escaped from a police car and died on the M5 in Somerset, the Independent Office for Police Conduct said.
Tamzin Hall was being taken to custody on the night of November 11 when officers pulled over for “safety reasons”, the IOPC said, adding she had been handcuffed with her hands in front of her and had an officer sat beside her.
She fled the stationary marked police car on the northbound carriageway and died after being hit by a car on the southbound carriageway.
Regional director David Ford: “My thoughts and sympathies remain with Tamzin’s family and friends, and everyone affected by the tragic events of that evening.
Update on our investigation into @ASPolice actions prior to the death of a teenager on the M5
— Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) (@policeconduct) November 28, 2024
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“We have met with Tamzin’s family to offer our condolences and to outline how our investigation will progress. We will provide them with regular updates as our inquiries continue.
“Our investigation is in the early stages and we are working hard to establish the exact circumstances of what took place, from the time of Tamzin’s arrest, to how events unfolded a short time later on the M5.”
Following the opening of her inquest, her mother Amy Hall described her eldest daughter as her “best friend” and said the death had left their family “devastated”.
“Tamzin was the most kindest, caring, loving, loyal girl ever. She was the most honest person I’ve ever known; she was very special to me,” she said.
“She had a great sense of humour, and we had many laughs together.
“She was my shadow from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning until she went to sleep at night. She was such an intelligent young girl and had such interesting perceptions on things in life.”
She added: “Tamzin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, so she was unique and saw the world in such a different way.
“Tamzin was my absolute everything and I can’t believe she isn’t here any more. She was my world.”
