PICTURED: Labourer, 23, who drowned in the Thames during arrest

PICTURED: Labourer, 23, who drowned in the Thames after falling into river while being arrested by police as watchdog launches probe

• Liam Allan went into the water by Bill’s restaurant on Riverside Walk in Kingston
• His body was pulled from the water two hours later and he was declared dead
• Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) has now begun an investigation 

A 23-year-old labourer who drowned in the Thames while being arrested by police has been pictured for the first time.  

Liam Allan went into the water by Bill’s restaurant on Riverside Walk in Kingston, south-west London, at just after 10.30pm on Friday. 

His body was pulled from the water two hours later and he was declared dead after an attempt at CPR. 

Earlier, police officers had been flagged down on Kingston Bridge after an argument and an allegation of theft.  

The Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) has now begun an investigation into the case. 

Liam Allan went into the water by Bill’s restaurant on Riverside Walk in Kingston, south-west London , at just after 10.30pm on Friday

Body-worn camera footage is under review and police say he had not been handcuffed 

Mr Allan’s family told MyLondon he had been drinking but they believed he was ‘calm’ while talking to police. 

Body-worn camera footage is under review and police say he had not been handcuffed. 

His father, James Allan, said: ‘I am broken. He was just so bubbly. He would talk to anyone. He would do anything for anyone. 

‘He was a good kid. He was trying so hard… He had big dreams [of doing music] and from what I have been told he was quite good as well.’ 

Mr Allan, who did agency work in construction but wanted to be a rapper, left behind his brother, Tyler, 14, sister Jessica, 5, and a brother and two sisters on his mother’s side.  

Tributes were also left for Mr Allan by the scene in Kingston.

The IOPC said it has begun the process of gathering and reviewing evidence, including footage of the interaction between the officers and Mr Allan. 

It is already investigating the death of another man, Oladeji Adeyemi Omishore, 41, who jumped from Chelsea Bridge on June 4 after being Tasered three times by police officers.

Mr Allan as a youngster with his father, James, and step-mother, Leanne

Mr Allan’s body was pulled from the water two hours later and he was declared dead after an attempt at CPR

The full Met Police statement reads: ‘At around 22:30hrs on Friday, 26 August, police on routine patrol were flagged down on Kingston Bridge to a verbal altercation involving a man and a woman who were known to each other.

‘An allegation of theft was made. Officers were in the process of arresting the man, believed to be aged in his 20s, when he entered the water. He had not been placed in handcuffs.

‘A multi-agency response to locate the man was launched, involving the Met’s Marine Policing Unit, National Police Air Service, London Fire Brigade and the RNLI.

‘The man was recovered from the water at around 00:30hrs and treated by paramedics. Despite their efforts, he was pronounced dead. The man’s family have been informed.

‘Police cordons remains in place and enquiries are ongoing. The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards have made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.’  

The IOPC said it has begun the process of gathering and reviewing evidence, including footage of the interaction between the officers and Mr Allan 

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: ‘My thoughts, and those of the Metropolitan Police Service, are with the friends and family of the man who has sadly lost his life following this incident.

‘I fully appreciate the public will be very concerned. We of course share that concern. The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards made an immediate referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct as is protocol in any incident in which a person comes to harm following police contact.

‘We will fully support the IOPC’s investigation.’

A statement from the IOPC said: ‘IOPC investigators attended the police post-incident procedures to obtain initial accounts from the officers involved.

‘We have now begun the process of gathering and reviewing evidence, including footage of the interaction between officers and the man.

‘Our thoughts are with the man’s loved ones and all those affected by his death.’

It comes after a 41-year-old man died in hospital earlier this year after jumping from a bridge into the River Thames when he was Tasered three times by police officers.

Oladeji Adeyemi Omishore, 41, from Pimlico was involved in a confrontation with Met Police officers on Chelsea Bridge on June 4. 

Oladeji Adeyemi Omishore, 41, jumped from Chelsea Bridge on June 4 after being Tasered three times by police officers 

A shocking video showed the man, who appears to be holding an object in his right hand – reportedly a plastic and metal firelighter – shouting at two police officers. 

One of the officers fires a Taser and the man falls to the floor, but proceeds to try and get up, at which point he is shocked a second time. 

The 41-year-old, who had a history of mental health issues, was recovered from the River Thames but died the following day in hospital 

He continues to try and get up and is shocked a third time, while officers shout at him to stay on the floor. 

The man then leaps over one of the barriers towards the edge of the bridge, pursued by a police officer, before vaulting over the railings and into the River Thames below.

After falling from the bridge a rescue operation was launched and he was rescued from the water by the RNLI. 

He died in hospital the following day. 

The Met referred the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) who have now launched an investigation.

Mr Omishore’s family said it is ‘incomprehensible’ that the officers involved were not being investigated for any professional misconduct or criminal charges, arguing that the Taser use ‘amounted to excessive use of force’.

An IOPC spokesperson said: ‘Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the family and friends of Oladeji Omishore.

‘Our investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death is progressing well and our investigators are continuing to gather and analyse key evidence.

‘At this early stage, we have no indication that any of the officers involved may have breached police professional standards or committed a criminal offence, although we keep conduct matters constantly under review.

‘We continue to liaise with Mr Omishore’s family to update them on our progress.’

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