A constable is to face a criminal investigation for assault over an attack which saw a man kicked and stamped on at Manchester Airport, the police watchdog has said.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it was arranging to interview the Greater Manchester Police officer under criminal caution “as soon as possible” over the alleged assault on Tuesday.
The officer was suspended by the force on Thursday, after footage of a confrontation between police and two men inside Terminal 2 was widely shared on social media.
The IOPC’s Catherine Bates said she had met with “one of the men who was involved and his family members” and would be speaking to the other man as soon as possible.
She said investigators were continuing to gather evidence and had already secured a “significant amount of body worn video and CCTV footage”.
The watchdog said the officer had also been served with a disciplinary notice in regards to “potential gross misconduct for a number of alleged breaches of police professional standards including his use of force”.
A representative said the “serving of notices” did not “necessarily mean criminal charges will follow”.
“At the end of our investigation, we will decide whether to refer the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision and decide whether the officer should face disciplinary proceedings,” they added.
Following the incident, Greater Manchester Police said firearms officers had been “violently attacked” in a parking area after trying to make an arrest at about 20:30 BST.
The force said three officers had been taken to hospital, one of whom had suffered a broken nose.
Four men, aged 19, 25, 28 and 31, were arrested on suspicion of assault and affray and had since been bailed.