Rashan Charles, a 20-year-old British man, died on 22 July 2017 following contact with an officer from the Metropolitan Police in

Dalston Dalston () is an area of East London, in the London Borough of Hackney. It is northeast of Charing Cross. Dalston began as a hamlet on either side of Dalston Lane, and as the area urbanised the term also came to apply to surrounding areas i ...

, England. Charles died after swallowing and choking on a package containing

caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine chemical classification, class and is the most commonly consumed Psychoactive drug, psychoactive substance globally. It is mainly used for its eugeroic (wakefulness pr ...

and

Paracetamol Paracetamol, or acetaminophen, is a non-opioid analgesic and antipyretic agent used to treat fever and mild to moderate pain. It is a widely available over-the-counter drug sold under various brand names, including Tylenol and Panadol. Parac ...

, after being chased and restrained by a police officer. This was the second death in little more than a month of a young black man in London following police contact, after the death of Edson Da Costa. The footage of Charles being restrained was shared on social media As with Da Costa's death, it led to multiple protests. An

inquest An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a cor ...

in June 2018 concluded that Charles had died as a result of the object obstructing his airway, and that the officers were not responsible.

Background

The Metropolitan Police said the incident took place after a vehicle stop in Kingsland Road, Dalston at 1:45 am on Saturday, 22 July 2017. Charles fled the vehicle and was pursued by police into a shop, where he placed an object into his mouth and resisted arrest. The officer, who wore a body camera, threw Charles to the ground, held him down by the neck, and tried to reach inside his mouth. A member of the public helped him restrain Charles. Charles subsequently "became ill", was given emergency treatment at the scene, and was taken by ambulance to

Royal London Hospital The Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. It provides district general hospital services for the City of London and Tower Hamlets and sp ...

, where he died later that morning. The object Charles tried to swallow was reportedly recovered at the scene.

Response

The video of Charles' contact with the police was widely shared on social media platforms. The National Union of Students Black Students' Campaign tweeted that Charles had been "murdered" by the Metropolitan Police.

Pauline Pearce Pauline Pearce is a British Liberal Democrat campaigner and anti- knife crime activist. Pearce came to prominence during the 2011 England riots, featuring in a viral video in which she chastised rioters, leading her to be dubbed the Heroine of Hack ...

, a local politician and activist who was known for berating looters during the

2011 London riots A series of riots took place between 6 and 11 August 2011 in cities and towns across England, which saw looting and arson, as well as mass deployment of police and the deaths of five people. The protests started in Tottenham Hale, London, follo ...

, described Charles as "a darling". Friends and family of Charles called for action to be taken against the officer involved, suggesting protests could take place otherwise. A friend of Charles told ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', "Rash was unarmed and he was not resisting arrest...I just don't understand the whole taking him down to the ground and choking him and handcuffing him" and accused police of abusing their authority. ''The Independent'' reported that "community anger over his death could spill over into violence".

Protests

More than 300 protesters attended a demonstration organised by 'Hackney Stand Up to Racism and Fascism' on Monday 24 July. The group stated they were "enormously concerned and angered" by Charles' death and cited both the Death of Edson Da Costa and of Rashan Charles as examples of "seemingly endless list of young black men dying at the hands of the authorities". The protest, a march from the shop where the altercation took place to Stoke Newington police station, was described as mostly peaceful, but several masked activists chanted "murderers" at police and hurled broken bottles. More protests were held in Dalston and Hackney on Friday, 28 July 2017.

IOPC Investigation

The

Independent Police Complaints Commission The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was a non-departmental public body in England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales. On 8 January 2018, th ...

(later renamed the

Independent Office for Police Conduct The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is a non-departmental public body in England and Wales, responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales. It replaced the Independent ...

in January 2018) started an investigation. The IPCC reported that the item Charles attempted to swallow contained a mixture of

and

(acetaminophen) wrapped in plastic. Although these are not illegal to possess in the UK, this combination of drugs has been used as "cutting" agents for Class A drugs.

Inquest

The full

, was held in June 2018 in front of a

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

and

jury A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence, make Question of fact, findings of fact, and render an impartiality, impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty or Judgmen ...

. The police officers involved in the restraint and arrest of Charles that resulted in his death were given the right to remain anonymous. On Wednesday 20 June 2018, the jury returned a verdict of

accidental death An accidental death is an unnatural death that is caused by an accident, such as a slip and fall, traffic collision, or accidental poisoning. Accidental deaths are distinguished from death by natural causes, disease, and from intentional homici ...

. The jury concluded that the officers' use of force was justified and that Charles' death was a consequence of the package he had swallowed blocking his airway. While they concluded that the officers failed to follow protocol by not calling for an ambulance sooner, they argued that this would not have saved Charles' life. The verdict was criticized by at least one member of Charles' family.

References