East Acton: Teenager killed by train near Shepherds Bush ‘was not being chased by officers’, says Met Police

A teenager died after being struck by a train, following an incident in which police tried to stop a van that the colided with other vehicles.

At about 8.35pm on Monday (August 21) police stopped a van but when an officer got out, the van drove off before crashing into other vehicles in Cane Road, between East Adcton and Shepherds Bush. The van’s occupants were seen fleeing and and a person was seen close to therailway tracks.

The male, believed to be in his late teens, was hit by a train near East Acton Underground station shortly afterwards.

The Met Police said in a statement: ”The police vehicle was not pursing the van at the time of the collision and officers were not giving chase on foot.”

A special post mortem, and formal identification of the teenager will take place in due course.

A member of the public, who was in one of the cars hit by the van, was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Police say that during incident, no one was detained or arrested.

Chief Superintendent Lou Puddefoot said: "I am extremely sad to confirm the death of this teenager, and my thoughts and condolences are with his friends and family following this tragedy.“We are in contact with his family, offering specialist support and updates on our work to determine what happened.

“This has caused devastation to the young man’s loved ones, and we also understand how concerning an incident like this is for local people.

"Since the initial incident, representatives from our professional standards department have visited the scene and are continuing to gather evidence.

“The case was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and after a thorough assessment, the IOPC has confirmed that is now for the Met to review, and to find out whether anything could, or should, have been done differently."