The UK police watchdog has launched an investigation into an officer filmed stomping on a man’s head at an international airport.
A widely circulated video shows a man lying on the floor as a male police officer holding a Taser strikes him twice, reports the BBC.
Other police in the footage urge shocked onlookers to remain clear of the scene.
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The incident occurred at a passenger terminal in Manchester Airport in north-west England on Tuesday.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said firearms officers had been attacked while trying to arrest someone over a fight in the airport’s terminal two.
One officer had since been removed from operational duties, the force confirmed.
Events began when firearm officers were called to the airport after reports of a brawl, a police spokesperson said.
Three officers were “punched to the ground” in a “violent assault” when they attempted to arrest one of the suspects.
“As the attending officers were firearms officers, there was a clear risk during this assault of their firearms being taken from them.”
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Three officers required hospital treatment, with one female officer suffering a broken nose.
Four men were arrested on charges including assault and obstructing police.
Greater Manchester Police said it had referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) over the scenes and one officer had been removed from operational duties.
Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry said: “We know that a film of an incident at Manchester Airport that is circulating widely shows an event that is truly shocking, and that people are rightly extremely concerned about.
“The use of such force in an arrest is an unusual occurrence and one that we understand creates alarm.”
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