A 21-year-old Edinburgh man has filed a complaint against Police Scotland after he was allegedly slammed to the ground and handcuffed by eight officers during a mental health welfare check. The incident occurred on January 8 at around 4.20pm in the Muirhouse area of the city.
Gabriels Ochnolichs was taking out his bins when he was approached by two police officers. He claims they grabbed him without explanation, with one officer applying force to his neck, making it difficult to breathe. Video footage recorded by his mother shows him being restrained on the ground with leg restraints, surrounded by multiple officers.
Ochnolichs told EdinburghLive that his social worker had raised a wellbeing concern after being unable to contact him because his phone was dead. Despite his mother speaking to the social worker to confirm he was safe, police had already been dispatched. He said the officers never informed him it was a welfare check, and he was left bruised and distressed.
He stated: 'They have ruined my reputation. People in my block will think I have done something really bad. All of this could have been avoided if the police had talked to me about checking on my welfare.'
A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed that a complaint has been received by the Professional Standards Department and is currently under assessment.
