A man living with a disability tragically died during an incident involving security at Perth Underground Station on Friday night.
Josh, 24, lived with a genetic condition called Sotos Syndrome and experienced a medical episode within a minute of being handcuffed following an altercation with security when he allegedly got violent. It is still unclear what sparked the incident which led to his detainment.
Transit security who knew Josh asked him to “come up for fresh air” before he was arrested and paramedics were called and attended the station where Josh was unresponsive.
They performed CPR before he was taken to the Royal Perth Hospital where he died.
7News reported that Josh needed more care, according to his family, and he should not have been alone but their plea for independent living support was rejected by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
“The NDIA came back and said look we’re not going to give you this funding, we’ll give you just a few hours extra so 4-6 hours a day of support which wasn’t enough,” disability advocate, Samantha Connor, told the news outlet.
News.com.au stated that the Public Transport Authority says it is cooperating with the police investigation now underway.
