Neil Saunders, 39, died on 3 September 2020 after being stopped by Thames Valley Police officers at his father’s home in Langley, Berkshire. The inquest heard that his father, Ronald Saunders, had called the police to his home after his son was showing symptoms of paranoia and an acute behavioral disorder, possibly related to drug use. Saunders was arrested on suspicion of assault, then handcuffed and restrained by several police officers shortly before he died of cardiac arrest. In police body cam video played at Tuesday’s hearing, Sanders appeared clearly agitated and was repeatedly told by officers to calm down. He was then physically restrained by five officers on the floor due to their body weight. One officer can be heard telling his colleague: “Put his legs down while I pull mine out… put all your weight on his legs.” The video also showed Saunders’ face being placed towards the ground several times. Later in the video, Sanders tells the officers “I can’t even breathe” several times. The officers continued to restrain him and did not allow him to sit down when asked if he could. Sanders then appeared unresponsive. An officer was captured saying, “He’s not talking anymore.” Paramedics were called to the scene soon after and Saunders was taken to hospital by ambulance, where he later died. He was held by the police for a total of 75 minutes. The position in which Sanders was carried in the ambulance may also have further impeded his ability to breathe and contributed to the cardiac arrest he suffered shortly before his death. Sanders is described as a “very special” and “nice” person by his family. In a statement, his father Ronald said: “Neil was so loved by the community, and still is… I am bombarded by people who knew Neil, they always come up to me to tell me how much he is still missed. . “Neil was such a nice boy. Once he got to know you, he relaxed and you could see that he was such a character. He was like a brother to so many people and we miss him dearly.” His father also described him as a generally healthy man. The investigation is ongoing and is expected to last three weeks.
