UGLY scenes greeted a jury's decision on the cause of death of Reading dad Aston McLean Williams.
A scuffle broke out at the coroner's court this evening after it was concluded that police officers were 'not at fault' after the 28-year-old fell in front of a police car while being chased in 2014.
Father-of-two Aston McLean Williams died during the early hours of August 6, 2014, on Wokingham Road after being chased by police officers following a 999 call.
Following the two-week long jury inquest, the five-year investigation into the death of Aston has concluded today (Friday, November 22), and it was ruled that Aston died as a result of compression and asphyxiation.
READ MORE: Mother of Aston Mclean Williams speaks about her son at inquest
The jury found that officer PC P, who had been chasing Aston, had not spotted the police car while running after him and spraying him with Captor spray.
They also said the driver of the police car, known as PC N, had hit the brakes as he approached PC P and Aston, who were both hit by the car.
Concluding the inquest, coroner Heidi Connor said: "I have Aston's family in mind at this point.
"It must have been so incredibly hard to sit in this room."
She added: "I want to say that this case is ultimately about your Aston.
"Aston, for me and I think for all of us, was at the centre of this investigation."
The jury's conclusion was met with screams of disapproval from those in the court room.
This developed into a scuffle in the lobby of the coroner's court, to which the police were called.
Tonight, Thames Valley Police has released the following statement in which it says they 'respect the narrative findings' from the inquest and 'will act on recommendations made by Her Majesty's Coroner.
Assistant Chief Constable Chris Ward, said: "The death of Aston has undoubtedly had a significant impact on his family and friends.
"Our thoughts remain with them through what I can only imagine has been a hugely difficult time.
"Aston tragically died after he was pursued by officers who suspected he was involved in a burglary and officers had been advised that he may have been carrying an axe, a hammer or perhaps both.
"As he ran away from police he was struck by a Thames Valley Police Armed Response Vehicle (ARV) which was tracking Aston as he ran up Wokingham Road.
"Moments before, another Thames Valley Police officer who was pursuing Aston on foot had used his Captor spray to try and stop him.
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"It is not clear whether the use of Captor spray had an effect on Aston and caused him to rapidly change the direction he was running in but he fell into the road into the path of the ARV.
"During this incident our officer, who had used his Captor spray, was also struck by the ARV and was also injured.
"But whenever there is a serious incident such as this Thames Valley Police will look to identify lessons for organisational learning and training.
"The inquest into Aston's death is an extremely important opportunity to identify areas for learning."
He added: "An internal review of this incident has been carried out and no changes to our officers training have been identified, however I can confirm that the exceptional circumstances of the death of Aston are now used in officer safety training as a scenario to raise awareness.
"Additionally we have asked the National Police Chief's Council to review the circumstances of this case to further identify any learning or changes required to national policy."
The inquest was opened at Reading Coroner's Office on Monday, November 11, two years after two officers involved in the incident were cleared of gross misconduct following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) inquiry.
READ AGAIN: Aston Mclean Williams inquest opens in Reading
The officers, known only as PC N and PC P for legal reasons, faced allegations of misconduct at a hearing in 2017.
Both were cleared of the charges.
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