An investigation is under way after the death of a man on railway tracks in south London after being involved in a pursuit with Metropolitan police officers, the force has said.
The pursuit began after a car heading towards Streatham High Road failed to stop for police at about 3.26am on Wednesday. Officers followed the car for a short time, indicating it should stop, the Met said.
The car crashed into a garden fence in Brunswick Mews in Streatham and the 34-year-old driver ran away. Two male passengers were detained by police. Officers lost sight of the driver and he is believed to have climbed a fence on to the railway line. A police helicopter was called to search the area and spotted the man but paramedics declared him dead at the scene.
His identity has not been disclosed.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed it has begun an investigation into the incident.
The Met said: “A vehicle pursuit was authorised and officers followed the car for a short time, indicating it should stop.
“[The driver] has been identified as a 34-year-old man. His next of kin have been informed. Officers from the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards have been informed.
“The IOPC have been informed and have declared this an independent investigation.”
A spokesperson for the IOPC said: “At around 3.26am on Wednesday 14 June we understand a car failed to stop for Metropolitan police service (MPS) officers in the Streatham area.
“We were advised by the MPS that an authorised pursuit began involving a marked and an unmarked police car, and the car being pursued.
“Shortly afterwards the car apparently collided with a garden fence in Brunswick Mews and two male passengers were detained by officers.
“The driver made off from the car and was pursued on foot by officers. We have been told he climbed a fence on to a railway line where, sadly, his body was spotted by [a] police helicopter.
“After being notified by the MPS, we sent our investigators to the scene … to begin gathering evidence.”
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jun/14/man-34-dies-on-railway-tracks-in-south-london-after-car-chase-with-met-police
