Burgess was hospitalized following the incident and later died 22 days afterward from COVID-19, unrelated to the police encounter.
PC Smith was accused of using excessive force but claimed he did not see Burgess’s wheelchair because he was focused on the knife, which the court was told was held tightly with “white knuckles.”
In the footage, Smith can be heard warning Burgess: “Put the knife down mate, or you will be sprayed or tasered. That’s up to you.”
Police use-of-force expert Ian Mills testified that Smith’s actions were consistent with police training, given the perceived threat, although Mills described the footage as “difficult to watch.”
He noted that officers must make rapid decisions without hindsight and that the threat posed by the knife justified Smith’s use of pepper spray to protect staff and other residents.
