Leeds Albion Street arrest referred to police standards team
- Published
A video shows a man being arrested by police in Leeds city centre.
A police force has launched an internal investigation after footage of a black man being arrested was shared online.
Footage recorded by a member of the public shows three officers restraining the suspect on Albion Street, Leeds.
At one point, pepper spray is discharged and shouts of disapproval can be heard from onlookers.
West Yorkshire Police said the man had resisted arrest before being held on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly in a public place on Monday.
The force has been criticised for displaying "disproportionate force", but said the suspect suffered no injuries during his arrest or detention.
A spokesperson said "incapacitant spray" and "physical control" was used to detain the man after he resisted arrest.
The force said officers were contacted by Leedswatch CCTV about a man removed twice from the city's Trinity shopping centre by security staff for acting aggressively.
When police located the suspect he was on a bench on Albion Street drinking alcohol - a breach of a Public Spaces Protection Order.
According to the force, officers spoke to the man for more than eight minutes to try and establish his identity.
When he refused to tell officers who he was - an offence in such circumstances, according to the force - they moved to arrest him.
The man, who was issued with a community resolution, which does not involve going to court, was released on Tuesday.
Black Lives Matter placards were held aloft during a demonstration in Leeds
After the video emerged online a number of people gathered in Albion Street on Tuesday to protest against the manner of the arrest.
Leeds District Commander Ch Supt Damien Miller said officers were aware of "speculation on social media" about the arrest and wanted to provide a "fuller understanding of the circumstances leading up to officers detaining him".
"We recognise the understandable concerns that exist around police interactions with people from ethnic minority communities, and we continue to work closely with those communities," he said.
He said the force was speaking to the organisers of a planned protest to discuss the arrest, and that it had invited them to view footage from the officers' body-worn cameras in full.
The case has been referred to the force's own professional standards directorate for a formal review.
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