Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has demanded an urgent review after a man was tasered by police in front of his distressed young child earlier this week.
Mobile phone footage widely shared on social media showed an apparent altercation between a man and two police officers at a petrol station in Stretford on Wednesday night.
The man is seen standing next to a marked police car and puts down his crying child before moments later he falls to the ground as a Taser is fired by one of the officers, PA Media reports.
The child then becomes hysterical and screams “daddy”.
The footage goes on to show the man being ordered to put his hands behind his back while he is on the floor, as the child is carried away.
It is understood the child was kept safe by officers after the incident and then taken to a close family member.
On Friday, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said Desmond Ziggy Mombeyarara, 34, had been been charged with a number of offences including two counts of resisting a constable in the execution of their duty.
It is alleged Mombeyarara was seen by officers driving at high speed in Chester Road, Stretford, shortly before 11pm on Wednesday and he was subsequently stopped and arrested.
GMP confirmed a Taser was deployed during the arrest and the matter has been voluntarily referred to the Independence Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
The force added the referral followed a review by its professional standards branch and it would “ensure transparency and independence in terms of reviewing the circumstances of the arrest”.
Superintendent Mark Kenny said: “We are aware of public concern regarding this arrest and I want to reassure the public that this matter is being reviewed and treated seriously.”
In a statement, Burnham said: “On Friday morning a video was brought to my attention of a police incident at a petrol station in Greater Manchester involving two police officers, a man, a child and the user of a Taser.
“I was concerned about what I saw and immediately asked GMP to look into it and provide me with an explanation of what had happened.
“From what I have been told, it would appear that the officers were right to apprehend the individual who was putting his child and others at risk by his actions.
“He has subsequently been charged. But it is not at all clear that the level of force used in this instance, particularly in front of a child, was proportionate or justified and that is why I have asked for an urgent and independent review to be carried out.”
Mombeyarara, of Cornbrook Park Road, Old Trafford, was due to appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Friday to also face other allegations including driving at excess speed, driving while unfit through alcohol, failing to stop and unnecessary travel.
Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds tweeted that he had spoken to Burnham about the incident.
He wrote: “Have been in touch with @AndyBurnhamGM about this incident, and I am glad to see that he has asked for an urgent and independent review of what has happened”