Sheku Bayoh inquiry: Hearing told drivers saw man 'walking with purpose' with knife in hand
Sheku Bayoh died on Sunday, May 3, 2015 after he was detained by officers in Kirkcaldy, Fife.
Lord Bracadale is hearing evidence in Edinburgh as part of an inquiry into the death.
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Hide AdThe inquiry heard Alan Pearson was driving with his wife in his car when Mr Bayoh was first seen in Templehall Avenue in the Hayfield area of Kirkcaldy around 7am.
âShe saw a man walking along the street with what appeared to be a knife in his hand,â he told the inquiryâs senior counsel, Angela Grahame, QC.
âShe says to me âthat guyâs got a knifeâ and I thought âdonât be daft, itâs 7am on Sunday morningâ.â
After Mr Pearson dropped his wife off at his sister-in-lawâs house, he then started to make his way home, and in Hayfield Place saw the man look like he was trying to stop a passing taxi. Mr Pearson said it looked like the man had banged on the carâs roof.
âOnce the taxi sped off, he did what anybody would do, he turned to face the taxi and face me, although not looking at me,â he said.
âWhen he turned around he put his hands out, palms up, thatâs when I saw what looked like a knife in his right hand.â
Mr Pearson then turned around and drove in a different direction.
He described the knife as âmaybe six or seven inchesâ long, but when he was shown a knife on a container at the Capital House inquiry, Mr Pearson told inquiry he could not recognise the blade being used as evidence, and that he only saw it from a distance.
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