FOOTAGE has emerged of a man claiming he could not breathe while being held to the ground by police.

The video shows three police officers arresting a man in Montpelier Road, Brighton.

During the footage the man, who is from the Bame community, claims one officer has an arm across his throat, but the officer appears to reply that his arm is across the man’s collarbone.

“That is my Adam’s apple and you are crushing it,” the man said. The officer denies this and says: "I am not on your throat."

He tells the man to calm down. Then after a minute of the footage, the officer appears to release the hold on the man.

Sussex Police say the man had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and assaulting an emergency worker, and said officers are trained to use reasonable force.

The force said the man had become aggressive once being put under arrest. There has been no suggestion that the use of force was unconventional or that excessive force has been used.

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But the force said the footage, and body-worn footage from the three officers attending, will be reviewed.

The footage has been shared on social media just two days before Black Lives Matter campaigners are set to protest in Brighton and Hove over concerns over racism in society. That campaign was launched after a black man died following an arrest in America.

One witness said: “I was utterly shocked. I’d never seen anything like this before. Unfortunately I didn’t film the initial arrest. I couldn’t believe how long they held him down to the ground for, I didn’t understand why they didn’t handcuff him straight away. He didn’t appear to be resisting and was clearly distressed and in pain, he didn’t seem to be on drugs or drunk.

“Regardless of the suspected crime, this use of force was unlike anything I had seen before.

“It made me feel unbelievably shocked.”

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Responding to the footage the force said they were called to an address in Montpelier Road, near the junction with Western Road, to find a missing vulnerable teenage girl at 10.15am on Tuesday.

The force said: “A resident of the address, a 28-year-old man, refused police entry and was arrested. Police subsequently found the missing teenager hiding at the property and returned them safely home.

“Once under arrest, the man became aggressive towards officers and was handcuffed and placed on the ground before being transported to custody. We train our officers to protect themselves and others using reasonable force and are reviewing this footage, together with body worn video captured by the officers of the entire interaction, to identify if any further investigation or learning is required.”