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A coroner has released graphic video footage showing the moment a deranged man who attacked an innocent pensioner in a meth-fuelled psychosis is Tasered by police, wrestled to the ground and taken into custody as loved ones scream “he’s sick” and “don’t hurt him”.
The man’s grieving family have been fighting for the release of the footage since it was suppressed by a Coroner in 2018.
It shows Tongan factory worker Alo Ngata being transported to an Auckland custody unit, placed unresponsive in a prone position on a cell floor while wearing a spit hood, then desperate attempts by police to perform CPR after officers realise he has stopped breathing.
Ngata, 29, died three days later in hospital surrounded by family after his life support was switched off.
A lawyer representing Ngata’s family hopes the footage – although graphic – will serve as a “wake up call” for the public and help prevent similar tragedies involving people experiencing mental distress, suffering from the effects of drugs, or a combination of both.
Coroner Matthew Bates released a damning finding last week which criticised police actions after Ngata was taken into custody on July 1, 2018.
NZ Herald
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