Victoria police apologise over death of injured man taken to cells instead of hospital
Summary
Victorian police apologized to the family of John Makai, who died after being held for five hours in a police cell without medical care despite having a serious head injury. The police failed to provide proper medical checks, delayed calling an ambulance, and did not recognize his worsening condition.Key Facts
- John Makai, 58, died in 2023 from untreated severe head trauma while in a police cell.
- Surveillance footage showed Makai was unresponsive but officers incorrectly said he responded when checked.
- Police did not complete a required medical checklist when Makai arrived at the station.
- Ambulance was called initially but then canceled; a second ambulance call was delayed by about five hours.
- Makai was injured at home in Sunbury and police saw him struggle to stand and collapse into furniture.
- Officers dragged Makai by the legs into the cell, where he was placed in a “coma position.”
- The delay in medical treatment was linked to police misinterpreting his condition as drunken sleep rather than brain injury.
- Disciplinary action was taken against officers where possible, but it is unclear if failure to act sooner affected the outcome.
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