Officers from Islington are under investigation after a suspect stopped breathing when police tried to restrain him.

A 28-year-old man was rushed to hospital and remains in a critical but stable condition after the incident yesterday in Aberdeen Park, Highbury.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has launched a probe into the actions of police, it said today.

Emergency services were called at about 7am to a hostel in Aberdeen Park, where a man was reportedly threatening to kill staff.

Police arrived to find a 28-year-old man bleeding from unknown injuries. Officers restrained him, but he stopped breathing. Officers administered emergency life support before he was taken to hospital.

Police said handcuffs and leg restraints were both used.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “The man was restrained for his, the officers’ and the public’s safety. He developed breathing problems and medical attention was provided by officers pending the arrival of the London Ambulance Service.”

Aberdeen Park was closed for much of Tuesday. Police say they are not seeking anyone else in relation to the incident.

A spokesman for the IPCC said: “The IPCC has begun an independent investigation into the actions of Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers who were called to attend a disturbance at a hostel in Islington. The MPS referred the matter on Tuesday afternoon and three IPCC investigators were immediately deployed to the scene to carry out a full assessment of the circumstances and information available.”