Man fights for his life having slashed his throat moments before Wigan police tasered him

Officers had been called to the junction of Trafalgar Road, Wrightington Street and Dicconson Terrace, Swinley, Lancashire in the early hours of Sunday February 18 after the man, who had appeared worse for drink, began remonstrating with residents, then smashed a bottle and held it to his neck.

Householders told Wigan Today that police tried negotiating with the clearly agitated stranger but, as he became increasingly worked up, a taser was drawn and he slashed his own throat with the jagged glass.

The incapacitating device was then fired, causing him to fall to the ground.

Officers gave the man CPR and tried staunching the bleeding for up to 20 minutes before an ambulance arrived. Paramedics took over and rushed him to hospital where his condition is described as "critical”.

An internal inquiry has been launched and police have also referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

A family living nearby was caught up in the incident.

One member said: “It was at about 1.20am and there was this drunk man with a big bag of shopping stumbling around in the street outside and making a lot of noise.

"My mum went out to ask if he was all right. Then my brother’s mates came back from the pub to collect a car and the guy started kicking off with them for no reason. Mum told them just to get out of there because the man was drunk.

"So then he turned on her, telling her she was an evil b****. My step-dad came out to calm things down but the guy then smashed a bottle on a wall and held it to his throat, so my mum called the police.”

The mum said: “Officers arrived pretty quickly and began negotiating with him but at some point he was tasered. We didn’t see that because it was behind a van, but round the same time he suffered a very bad neck injury and we heard someone say that his jugular had been cut so we knew it was very serious.

"The officers were doing CPR on him until the paramedics arrived. We heard he had a pulse in the ambulance. We just hope he is going to be all right.”

Other people were witnesses to the tragic development. Another neighbour, who only wanted to be called Jane, said: “My sister saw it all from an upstairs window and she is devastated.

"The police were trying to stop the man – who was tall, very thin with dark hair and in his 30s – from hurting himself and negotiated with him. At one point he ran up Trafalgar Road and they followed him, then he came back down again. Then they were about to taser him when he cut his throat. They spent ages trying to resuscitate him. I have heard that he had an operation but it might be touch and go as to whether he survives.”

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “Greater Manchester Police received a report regarding the concern for the welfare of a man on Wrightington Street in the Swinley area of Wigan at around 1am on Sunday February 18. He was subsequently detained by officers for his safety and as a result of the injuries present was transferred to hospital for emergency treatment where his condition remains critical at this stage.

“In accordance with GMP policy, the matter has been passed on to its Professional Standards Directorate for further investigation. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) have also been notified of the incident and a mandatory referral has been made for assessment.”

Police have since been carrying out house-to-house inquiries asking locals if they saw anything of events leading up to the incident and asking them to check ring doorbell footage. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to ring police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.