Nazim Din, 54, fell after contact with officer outside Leeds home and was left on ground for several minutes, family claim
An investigation is under way into allegations that a 54-year-old man on crutches died after he was pushed by police during a raid on his house.
The family of Nazim Din have criticised the police for their conduct when they came to the house in Leeds on Wednesday evening to arrest one of Din’s sons over an allegation of criminal damage. They claim Din fell to the floor after contact with an officer, and was left on the ground for several minutes.
West Yorkshire police are not commenting on the details of the incident while an investigation is carried out by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
The family said Din protested to police after they arrested the wrong son. They said the father of five and grandfather was “law-abiding and peaceful”, and they were devastated by his death.
“Nazim had much to live for and did not deserve to die in the way that he did. He had done nothing wrong,” they said in a statement. “We are shocked at the way a man with a disability has been treated by the police and are determined to hold those responsible for Nazim’s death to account.
“We urge the police to fully co-operate with those investigating Nazim’s death so that the facts can be brought to light as quickly as possible. We have suffered a terrible loss and do not want to struggle for answers whilst grieving. That is the least the police can do for us at this time.”
The IPCC confirmed that Din was an innocent person who was not being sought by police. He was believed to have collapsed after his heart stopped. It said: “Nazim Din, who was not being arrested, was said by West Yorkshire police to have tried to intervene while its officers were carrying out a pre-planned arrest in Grasmere Court in the Wortley area of the city at about 7pm on 28 August.
“Police say he collapsed in the street and that officers carried out CPR while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. Mr Din was taken to Leeds General Infirmary where he was pronounced dead.”
Saeed Khan, a nephew of Din, said his uncle had been pushed by an officer in the street outside the house and then collapsed to the floor. “He was trying to explain to them they had arrested the wrong son. At that point he was pushed by one of the officers and left for dead on the floor.”
Rawaa Mahdi, a neighbour of the Din family for 20 years, said she saw family members crying after the grandfather had collapsed. “They are a nice family who mind their own business,” Mahdi said.
The IPCC commissioner Cindy Butts said the investigation was locating witnesses. “This will be an extremely distressing time for Mr Din’s family and my condolences go out to them at this difficult time. I want to reassure them that we will do everything we can to find out what took place.”
West Yorkshire police said no officers had been suspended or placed on restricted duties after the incident. It said in a statement: “Police attended an address on Grasmere Court in the Wortley area of Leeds at around 7pm [on Wednesday] evening as part of pre-planned arrest. As a 34-year-old man was being arrested on suspicion of criminal damage he appears to have suffered a medical episode and was transported to Leeds General Infirmary for treatment. He has now been transferred back into police custody.
“Around the same time, a 54-year-old man, also from the same address, collapsed and was transported to hospital where he unfortunately later died. West Yorkshire police have reported the circumstances to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and are co-operating fully with its independent investigation to ensure all the circumstances are properly understood and investigated.”