Investigation as video of West Midlands Police 'restraint' goes viral

The video, which was viewed in one post more than 1.4 million times in less than 20 hours, was filmed through a door and shows five officers in a room with a man.

As police attempt to restrain the man, one of the officers appears to hit him repeatedly on the head while holding some sort of spray canister.

A crutch can be seen on the floor as the man holds his hands above his head, before another of the officers shuts the door and blocks the camera.

It is not known what led to the man being restrained and no footage of what happened beforehand has been released, however the officers involved were wearing bodycams.

WATCH the video here:

The footage was originally believed to be linked to an incident involving Humberside Police, however West Midlands Police has confirmed this is not the case.

The force said in a statement: "West Midlands Police is aware of video footage that has been posted to social media, that shows a man being restrained by officers.

"The video footage, together with footage from body cameras, worn by the officers is currently being reviewed.

"Our Professional Standards department will consider whether the matter needs to be referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)."

The video was linked to Humberside Police after six officers from the north-east force were suspended on Thursday for breaching the force’s standards of behaviour.

However Humberside Police confirmed the incident and the video are not connected and directed people complaining online to West Midlands Police's post.

West Midlands Police would not confirm when or where in the region the incident took place or why the man was being restrained.