A “gentle giant” died partly from the effects of being restrained after an altercation with a jewellery shop security guard, an inquest heard.
Sam Diatta, 39, went into cardiac arrest while being held face down on the floor of Mappin and Webb jewellers on Coney Street, York on 26 July 2022.
An inquest in Northallerton heard that the position Mr Diatta was in restricted his breathing and contributed to his death.
The hearing was told that Mr Diatta walked into the shop and told security guard Gary Prothero that he had 18,000 TikTok followers and wanted to take pictures of the watches, demanding three free watches in return.
Mr Prothero said that when he refused and asked Mr Diatta to leave, he became aggressive and “launched an unprovoked attack”.
CCTV played during the hearing showed Mr Diatta throwing several punches at Mr Prothero, before a customer came over to help.
The customer and Mr Prothero are seen holding Mr Diatta upright by his arms for 40 seconds, before tackling him to the floor, where he is held face down for more than five minutes before a police officer arrives.
Two more members of the public join in restraining Mr Diatta, and at one point he was seen with three people on his back.
He was taken to hospital where his death was confirmed.
The inquest heard that Mr Diatta had bipolar disorder, asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Pathologist Nigel Cooper said Mr Diatta had heart disease which could have led to his death at any time, but that the position he was being restrained in would have restricted his breathing and made him “extremely stressed, physically and mentally”.
He found that the cause of death was a combination of hypertensive heart disease and the effects of being restrained.
Mr Cooper told the inquest: “The position is very important – being face down is not necessarily very good for you, especially if you’ve got a big tummy.
“What’s really bad is having weight on your chest.”
‘Bizarre’ behaviour
Mr Prothero said he had been in the security industry at that point for 10 or 11 years, had a first aid certificate as part of his training and would only use physical intervention as a last resort.
He told the inquest that when Mr Diatta entered the shop he “said he had 18,000 followers on TikTok and wanted to take pictures of the watches”
“He then demanded three free watches from the store for providing that service,” Mr Prothero said.
“I found his behaviour to be strange and very bizarre. It was slightly aggressive.
“He shouted very loud when he demanded the three watches, he said ‘now’ in a very aggressive manner.”
Mr Prothero said that after being told he would need to approach head office, Mr Diatta shouted “You’re a racist” three or four times.
He told the inquest: “I opened the door for him to leave… He tried to grab my mask or my glasses.
“The situation quickly became volatile. I tried to grab his arm to gently guide him out the door, then he launched an unprovoked attack on me.”
Mr Prothero said another man who was in the shop with his family came over to help, and they put Mr Diatta on the floor because “he was incredibly strong and he carried on being violent”.
He said his intention was to restrain Mr Diatta until the police arrived, and he thought it would be easier to have him face down.
Mr Prothero told the hearing: “I was using, I felt, necessary proportionate force.
“He was trying to get up. I honestly can’t remember what he said, it was such a chaotic situation.”
He said he did not hear Mr Diatta say he could not breathe.
‘Gentle giant’
After his death Mr Diatta’s family said he was “a gentle giant, who was kind and generous and loved by all who met him”.
They said: “Sam was half Senegalese and his family in Senegal meant the world to him. He was a keen sportsman and supported both the England and Senegal football sides. He also played for York RI rugby team.
“Sadly, in his later teenage years Sam developed mental health issues which stayed with him throughout his life.
“He had a strong Christian faith and with two others led the Christian Union at York College.”
The inquest continues.
