Police Seen Punching Suspect's Head During Piccadilly Gardens Arrest, GMP Says Footage Lacks Full Picture

Footage has been circulating online over the past weekend in which a Greater Manchester Police officer appeared to be punching a man in the head during an arrest in Piccadilly Gardens on Saturday, 5 September.

The roughly 40-second video raised questions over the level of force used by the officers during the incident, but the GMP said that the footage shared on social media didn't show the full circumstances leading up to the arrest.

However, different footage also surfaced online showing the escalation leading up to the arrest, with the man appearing to throw punches towards the officers.

GMP said two officers were injured during the interaction with the man before he was detained. One officer suffered a suspected broken jaw while another suffered a concussion.

Suspected Drug Search Leads to Injuries

The incident reportedly occurred at around 6:50 PM last Saturday. The officers were on foot patrol in Piccadilly Gardens when they approached a man in connection with a suspected drugs offence.

According to GMP, the situation escalated, and the man allegedly became violent as they were attempting to search him and proceeded to assault two officers during the interaction.

The man was subsequently detained and arrested on suspicion of two counts of an offence under Section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act, relating to grievous bodily harm or wounding with intent. The man was also taken to the hospital as a precaution before being discharged and returned to police custody, where he remained for questioning.

Viral Arrest Video Leads to Concern Regarding Police Force

The video quickly spread across social media, with many users growing concerned regarding the police's actions during the arrest. When the clip began, the suspect was already chest-down lying on the ground.

According to the bystander's video, one officer was attempting to restrain the man and place him in handcuffs. Later on, the officer appeared to strike the suspect's head three times before another officer became involved.

In the background, people can be heard questioning what was happening during the confrontation. One female bystander stated, 'What you doing?' while a male's voice can be heard saying, 'Get off me neck,' as the officer appears to place his leg against the man's head.

The officer answered, 'You're under arrest for police assault.' The clip does not show what happened before the recording began, including the alleged assaults on the two officers or the initial attempt to conduct the drugs search.

GMP to Review the Footage

Greater Manchester Police has since acknowledged the video circulating online. In a statement, the force said, 'We are aware of footage circulating on social media which captures only part of the incident. While we understand the footage may raise questions, it does not show the full circumstances officers were dealing with.'

GMP also pointed to the presence of a large crowd gathering around the arrest as another factor officers were dealing with at the time. 'The full circumstances of the incident, including all available footage, will be reviewed by our Professional Standards Directorate to ensure complete transparency,' GMP said.

For now, GMP has not released further details about the suspect or provided a full account of how the two officers sustained their injuries.