A body has been retrieved from the River Lea this morning after a police chase last night resulted in a man falling into the water.
Police officer patrolling on bicycles along the River Lea towpath between Ferry Lane and Markfield Park in Tottenham approached a group of males at about 9.15pm last night.
One of the males was detained however two other males made off from police on pushbikes and were pursued before they were 'seen to enter the water', the Met Police has said.
River Lee towpath between Ferry Lane and Markfield Park. Photo: Google Maps
Thee Met has yet to provide further clarification surrounding how they came to be in the river.
One of the males was retrieved from the water, which is part of the River Lee Navigation system, and detained by officers.
(1/2) Police are dealing with an incident in the area of Ferry Lane, #Tottenham. At around 2115hrs a male was seen to enter the water. He has not been seen since and an urgent search of the area is being undertaken...
— MPS Haringey (@MPSHaringey) October 7, 2020
The other male could not be found so officers alerted specialist marine policing teams who searched for several hours overnight, with the assistance of colleagues from the National Police Air Service.
The search resumed in the early hours of this morning and shortly before 10am today (Thursday, October 8) police recovered the body of a male.
Officers are working to identify him and establish whether he is the male concerned.
Emergency crews hunt for the male last night. Photo:Niamh G/Zieferblat
Commander Paul Brogden said: “I fully recognise the concern this incident will cause among members of the local community. The matter was referred by our Directorate of Professional Standards to the Independent Office for Police Conduct who have confirmed that they are independently investigating this tragic incident, and how the males came to be in the water.
“Our thoughts are with the family of the deceased male and we will do everything we can to support the IOPC investigation.”
A road closure remains in place on Ferry Lane, between the junctions of Mills Mead Road and Bream Close.
Two males detained were arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and remain in custody in North London police stations.
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