A teenager has died after being struck by a train in Shepherds Bush, and after police tried to stop the van he was travelling in.
Enquiries have been happening at pace to establish the full circumstances and to provide every support available to his family.
After officers tried to make the stop, the van collided with other cars and the people inside were reported to have run from the scene. Sadly the boy, who is believed to have been in his late teens, was struck by a train shortly afterwards.
The police vehicle was not pursuing the van at the time of the collision and officers were not giving chase on foot.
Chief Superintendent Lou Puddefoot, in charge of policing in Central West BCU, said: “I am extremely sad to confirm the death of this teenager, and my thoughts and condolences are with his friends and family following this tragedy.
“We are in contact with his family, offering specialist support and updates on our work to determine what happened.
“This has caused devastation to the young man’s loved ones, and we also understand how concerning an incident like this is for local people.
“Since the initial incident, representatives from our Professional Standards Department have visited the scene and are continuing to gather evidence.
“The case was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and after a thorough assessment, the IOPC has confirmed that is now for the Met to review, and to find out whether anything could, or should, have been done differently.”
At about 20:35hrs on Monday, 21 August, an unmarked car containing uniformed officers attempted to stop a van which initially pulled over and stopped. However when the officers got out of their car, it then drove away and shortly after it collided with other cars on Du Cane Road, W12.
A number of people were seen to flee the van on foot, and a short time later, a person was seen close to tracks before being struck by a train close to East Acton Underground Station. This is now known to be the teenager who died. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A special post mortem, and formal identification will take place in due course.
During the incident, nobody was detained or arrested.
A member of the public, who was in one of the cars hit by the van, was taken to hospital as a precaution.
Enquiries into the circumstances continue.
