A London police officer has been suspended after a video clip appeared to show him kneeling on a black man's neck during an arrest incident, local media reported Friday.
Video footage of the arrest in Islington in north London on Thursday evening showed two officers holding down the handcuffed suspect who was lying on the pavement, with one of them appearing to have his knee on the man's neck area.
Local media reports said that the suspect can be heard shouting "Get off my neck" in the footage.
The second officer has been removed from operational duty following the incident, according to a statement of the Metropolitan Police Service.
The Metropolitan Police said they have referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which investigates incidents and allegations involving the police.
The police statement said the man was "arrested at the scene on suspicion of affray and possession of an offensive weapon."
Steve House, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said in the statement that the video footage is "extremely disturbing," adding that the man involved "has now been seen by a police doctor."
Since the death of U.S. black man George Floyd due to police brutality in May, police conduct has been under growing scrutiny.
