Liam Allan named as man who died in River Thames during arrest

Officers were flagged down on Kingston Bridge, police said

A man who died after entering the River Thames while being arrested by police has been named by the police watchdog.

Liam Allan, 23, ran down some steps to the water and began swimming away into the river by Kingston Bridge at about 22:30 BST last Friday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

His body was found two hours later.

Officers were in the process of arresting the man, but he had not been placed in handcuffs when he entered the water, the Met previously said.

A "verbal altercation" involving a man and a woman known to each other was taking place and an allegation of theft was made, the force added.

Appealing for witnesses, IOPC regional director Sal Naseem said he wanted to "express our condolences to Liam Allan's family and friends and all those affected by his death".

He said: "We need to establish all of the contact the police had with Liam on that evening.

"We would like to speak to anyone who may have seen police officers speaking with a male, or a small group of people, on or near the vicinity of Kingston Bridge between 22:30 and 23:15."

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