Death in police custody in Saint-Ouen: investigation opened
A 44-year-old man, arrested on Monday evening, died on Tuesday at the Saint-Ouen police station. The IGPN is investigating whilst the family alleges serious violence.
Death in a police station in Seine-Saint-Denis
Mauricio K., 44, died on Tuesday at the Saint-Ouen police station (Seine-Saint-Denis) less than 24 hours after his arrest. According to Le Nouvel Obs, an investigation was opened by the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) on 28 October, referred to an investigating judge by the Bobigny prosecutor's office. The man, an Angolan national residing in France since childhood and working as a painter, had been arrested on Monday 26 October by municipal police for sexist abuse, abuse and threats against a person invested with authority.
At the time of his arrest, Mauricio K. had a blood alcohol level of 1.37 mg per litre of exhaled air. His placement in police custody was deferred, and he was taken to hospital where a doctor deemed his condition compatible with police custody. During the night, a doctor from the Medical-Judicial Unit confirmed this assessment. Death occurred on Tuesday at approximately 15:00 in cardiorespiratory arrest. Police officers provided first aid, but the man could not be resuscitated by emergency services personnel.
The autopsy carried out on Wednesday revealed no traumatic injuries that could explain the death. The prosecutor's office specified that the deceased had a history of heart disease and that further expert examinations — anatomopathological and toxicological — are necessary to determine the exact cause of death.
The family's lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou, filed a complaint on 28 October for "voluntary violence resulting in death without intent to cause death committed by a person invested with public authority". According to the terms of the complaint, "serious violence was committed during the arrest and potentially within the police station". The lawyer argues that Mauricio K. "was not suffering from a serious illness that could explain this sudden death" and that it is "reasonable to think that acts of violence could be the cause of his death".
The Socialist mayor of Saint-Ouen, Karim Bouamrane, expressed his "profound emotion following the death" and called for "full clarity to be shed on the circumstances of this tragedy". The police officers who intervened will be heard as part of the IGPN investigation, a procedure described as "standard" in cases of death in police custody.
Source: Le Nouvel Obs