Two police officers have been issued with misconduct notices after a 17-year-old girl escaped from a police car and died on the M5 in Somerset, the Independent Office for Police Conduct said.
Tamzin Hall was taken into custody on the night of November 11 when the police stopped “for security reasons”, the IOPC said, adding that she was handcuffed in front of her and had a police officer sitting next to her.
He ran from a parked police car in the northbound lane and died after being hit by a car in the southbound lane.
District leader David Ford: “My thoughts and sympathies go out to Tamzin’s family and friends, and everyone affected by the tragic events of that evening.
“We met with Tamzin’s family to comfort each other and talk about how our investigation will go. We will provide regular updates as our inquiries continue.
“Our investigation is at an early stage and we are working hard to establish the exact circumstances of what happened, from the time of Tamzin’s arrest, to the events shortly afterwards on the M5.”
Following the opening of her inquest, her mother Amy Hall described her eldest daughter as her “best friend” and said the death had left her family “devastated”.
“Tamzin was the most kind, caring, loving, loyal girl. He was the most honest person I have ever known; she was very special to me,” he said.
“He had a lot of fun, and we laughed a lot.
“He was my shadow from the time he opened his eyes in the morning until he fell asleep at night. She was a smart little girl and had such an interesting outlook on life.”
He added: “Tamzin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, so she was different and saw the world in a different way.
“Tamzin was my everything and I can’t believe she’s not here anymore. It was my country.”