By Violet Li
A State Coroner is investigating the death of an armed man who died at a Lynbrook shopping centre after a police chase-up in February this year.
Star News reported on 14 February that an armed man died at Lynbrook Village Shopping Centre after self-harming and then being tasered by police.
As the investigation of the death is still in its early stage, a direction hearing on Wednesday 12 March revealed the 36-year-old, who had no fixed address, was wanted by police at the time of his death, with three outstanding bench warrants for alleged criminal offending. Police also intended to serve a Family Violence Intervention Order on him.
According to the police and audiovisual footage, on the day of his death, police attended his residence in Lynbrook to arrest him. The deceased then fled the residence and jumped over a fence that abutted the car park at Lynbrook Village Shopping Centre.
He ran into the shopping centre, and police officers located him in a bathroom. He was self-inflicted behind the closed door. The police kicked the door open and the deceased was seen in the cubicle holding a knife in his right hand, covered in blood.
The court heard that the officers repeatedly instructed him to drop the knife and asked him to slide the knife away from him so that they could obtain medical assistance for him.
They warned him that he would be tasered if he was not compliant, yet the 36-year-old remained standing holding the knife.
At approximately two minutes after the cubicle door was opened, the police tasered him twice, restrained him with handcuffs, and applied medical aid, but the man became unresponsive shortly afterwards. He was then transported to hospital but could not be revived.
The paramedics found the deceased had suffered significant blood loss and had two deep lacerations on his neck, but the full results of the autopsy that will determine the medical cause of the death will be delivered in some months, according to the court.
The Coroner Court acknowledged that as the investigation processes, other issues may arise and lead to further investigations.
The Coroner Dimitra Dubrow will also determine whether things could have been done differently and whether there are any prevention opportunities that arise.
Victoria Police will also conduct their internal review of the incident.
The next step is a coroner brief to be served approximately in late June this year. Once the brief is received, the interested parties will consider if necessary to convene a further direction hearing.
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