The incident caught on camera resulted in two men being arrested and a woman being charged
19:58, 20 May 2026Updated 20:13, 20 May 2026
Merseyside Police officers detain a man following the incident on Gilbert Street
A complaint has been made in connection with an online video which appeared to show a police officer holding a suspect’s neck during an arrest. The viral video showed the moment a large number of responding Merseyside Police officers detained a young man outside the front of a house.
The video shows the police officers attempting to force entry through the front door of a house before leading a suspect out. Four officers appear to have his arms pinned behind his back before they force him to the ground.
The footage appears to show one officer throwing a punch to the suspect’s head. A woman sitting on some garden furniture is then also detained by two officers, while in the background of the video, other officers arrest a second man.
A woman, who appears to be standing in the next door property’s front garden and filming the arrests, moves closer to the action and shows an officer appearing to have his hand on the back of the young male suspect’s neck.
The woman filming the video can be heard to shout “disgusting, disgusting” before adding “get off his neck, get off his neck, youse have restrained him”.
The video later shows her shouting “he’s saying he can’t breathe”, before adding at the end of the video: “I’ve recorded it with your elbow, your hand up on his neck.”
The incident happened on Gilbert Street in Liverpool’s Baltic area shortly before 1pm on Monday.
The ECHO approached Merseyside Police for comment in response to the video. A spokesperson said: “As a complaint has been received in relation to this incident, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.”
The ECHO understands the complaint is being handled internally and is not being looked at by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) at this time.
A screenshot from the video
However, the force confirmed two men had been arrested and a woman had been charged in connection with the incident after officers attempted to carry out a stop check.
The spokesperson said: “At around 12.50pm, officers attempted to stop check a man who made off on foot on Gilbert Street and was seen to throw an item over a fence into a garden.
“Following enquiries at the scene, the suspect, along with another man and woman, were detained and a Sur-Ron electric motorbike, a mini-quad bike and two electrically-assisted pedal bikes seized.”
A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of acquiring/using/possessing criminal property and possession with intent to supply a class B controlled drug (cannabis). He has been released under investigation.
Meanwhile a 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of obstructing/resisting a constable in the execution of their duty. He has been bailed while enquiries continue.
Rachael Taylor, 50, of Gilbert Street, was arrested at the scene and later charged with assaulting a constable in the execution of their duty and possession of a class B controlled drug (cannabis). She was bailed to appear at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on July 17.