A British police officer who came forward as being involved in the case of Ian Tomlinson -- a newspaper salesman who died of a heart attack during the G-20 protests in London last week -- has been suspended from duty following the release of video footage showing the moments before Tomlinson's death. The footage from London Channel 4 News (below) clearly shows a police officer striking Tomlinson with his baton. Tomlinson was reportedly felled by the blow, but got back up only to have a heart attack minutes later, according to Bloomberg.
The name of the officer in question has not been divulged, and it seems to fall into a larger pattern of public relations gaffes by the police force. The suspension today is accompanied by the resignation of Britain's chief anti-terror official, Bob Quick, for a slip up wherein confidential counterterrorism operational details were revealed. From Bloomberg:
The suspension of the officer is the latest embarrassment for the force, which has been rocked by a series of controversies in recent months. Bob Quick, the head of counter- terrorism, resigned today after accidentally revealing details of an operation against al-Qaeda-linked suspects and in October Ian Blair was forced out as Commissioner under pressure from London Mayor Boris Johnson over political differences about policing.
Tomlinson was on his way home from work when he encountered police lines closing off roads, according to an April 6 statement from the IPCC. It was then that he became caught up in a crowd of protesters and witnesses said he was pushed, the IPCC said.
He got up and walked away after being knocked over and a short while later collapsed in the street. Police medics tried to revive him at the scene and Tomlinson was pronounced dead on arrival at a London hospital, the commission added.