Steven Turner said he was thrown to the ground and knocked unconscious when several officers accosted him while he was walking down the Rohais.
His mother has now made a formal complaint about the officers’ behaviour.
After the incident, police admitted that Mr Turner was not the person they had been looking for, but said that he had run away when they called out to him – with the wrong name.
They said that the 32-year-old man they arrested was in possession of controlled drugs and ‘associated paraphernalia’ and he was also arrested for intent to supply and resisting arrest.
A video of part of the arrest has been shared widely on social media.
In a statement, Police said a complaint had been received from a member of the public after a video of the incident was shared online, but this only showed a short part of what had happened.
‘Policing is a difficult and often dangerous job, requiring dynamic decision making,’ said police in the statement.
‘We appreciate the support of our community when undertaking this challenging role and would request the investigations are allowed to continue without further speculation.’
Some pills, which they suspected to be a controlled substance, had been sent for analysis.
Mr Turner accepted that he was in possession of drugs – medicinal cannabis, which he had picked up from a pharmacy – and a few valium for his own use.
He lives in a warden-controlled house because he suffers from seizures. He also has a metal implant in his spine to correct the condition spondylolisthesis, which causes vertebrae to be misaligned.
He said he was walking down the Rohais on his way to his sister’s home when he heard an ‘Oi’ shout behind him and turned to see several uniformed officers running towards him.
‘I didn’t even think about it, I just just started running. I don’t know why,’ he said.
‘It was just instinct to start running.
‘Next minute, I’m taken to the ground, and then I’m fighting, and they’re calling me Kyle, and I’m going, “I’m not Kyle, I’m not Kyle. I’m Steven Turner.”.’
He said this did not stop the officers, who took him to the ground.
‘That’s why I’ve got a head injury here on the side, and I felt a blow to my shoulders,’ he said.
‘The one from the side – he put all his force in. When they hit my face everything went white and there was ringing in my ear.’
An ambulance was called. Mr Turner said one of the medics who attended suspected he had a broken nose. However, his was later found out not to be the case. He was then taken to the Police Station where a healthcare professional saw him later. It was on that person's advice that he was taken to the Emergency Department at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
Officers also found digital scales on Mr Turner, but he said these are needed to ensure he gets the correct amount of medicinal cannabis.
While police kept the scales and the pills, they returned the cannabis to him.
Mr Turner’s family has contacted Deputy Rob Curgenven, who was going to speak to him about the incident yesterday afternoon.
Police stated that enquiries were ongoing, and the professional standards department was looking into the matter.
Anyone with information that might help the investigation into the complaint or the criminal matter are asked to contact police on 222222.
