Man Dies ‘While Being Pinned Down By Shop Security For Shoplifting’

A man died after being restrained by security guards outside a Dublin shopping centre, in what some appear to be framing as a George Floyd moment for Ireland.

Yves Sakila, 35, was detained by security outside the entrance of the Arnotts after allegedly shoplifting some perfume. As he attempted to flee the scene, he knocked over an 80-year-old man, who sustained non-life-threatening but serious injuries, for which he remains hospitalised.

Five people detained Sakila on the ground, with police then briefly handcuffing him, before realising he wasn’t breathing. CPR and a defibrillator were deployed at the scene, but he was pronounced dead at hospital shortly after…

Ah, the old knee on the neck trick. That’s never gone wrong before, has it?

Congolese national Sakila, who had lived in Ireland for 22 years, was an IT professional who had fallen on hard times and was living in the Salvation Army’s Granby Centre hostel in Dublin for the last two years. Staff at the accommodation described him as a “pleasant and quiet” resident.

The incident has sparked immense public outrage and anti-racism demonstrations in Ireland. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin and Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan have both publicly called for swift, transparent, and exhaustive investigations into Sakila’s death.

A spokesperson for Arnotts stated the retailer is “deeply saddened” by the loss of life, emphasising that “no loss of life should ever be the outcome of a retail security incident”.

Will be interesting to see what the post-mortem uncovers. There was a lot of controversy around George Floyd’s autopsy, which found he had fentanyl and meth in his system when he died, not that it absolved the police officer of killing him.

Ultimately, did the situation require that level of restraint? Could it have been handled in a way that avoided Sakila’s death? And why the hell does everyone restraining him appear to be in their 60s and 70s? Hopefully the investigation will bring out the full details.

For the Tesco shoplifter who fought staff and was then hit by a car as he escaped by running across the street, click HERE.