News / Crime
Court hears Brunswick man was behaving erratically before police intervention
Coronial investigation still has a long way to go
Mark Phillips
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
THE exact cause of death of a Brunswick man who died following his arrest in Sydney Road in June is yet to be determined, a court has heard.
Kristian Stock, 43, died in the Royal Melbourne Hospital on June 10, four days after the incident at the intersection of Sydney Road and Albert Street.
The Victorian Coroner’s Court was told on Tuesday that Stock became unresponsive either during or after he was handcuffed by police and never regained consciousness.
He is believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest which caused insurmountable brain damage, and his life support was turned off on June 10.
Coroner Audrey Jamieson said a mandatory inquest would be held because Stock had died after being taken into police custody.
In a directions hearing on Tuesday, counsel assisting the coroner, Lindsay Spence, outlined the chaotic series of events that led up to Stock losing consciousness.
At the time of his death, Stock was living in an apartment building in Albert Street and working from home as an artist. He had previously been a team leader in a call centre but left that job some time after the end of the Covid pandemic.
Spence said Stock had no prior convictions and minimal interaction with police apart from a drug-driving infringement, but had a history of substance abuse and mental illness, for which he had sought help.
On June 6, the day of the incident with police, Stock was observed on numerous occasions in an incoherent and apparently drug affected state. He was captured on CCTV punching two holes into the wall near the lifts in his apartment building. At one stage, he visited the Albert Street Woolworths where two staff observed he was bleeding from his right ear and had scratches on his face.
During the day, several requests for welfare checks were made to police and Ambulance Victoria, and Stock himself voluntarily attended Brunswick Police Station in the afternoon, where he was described as being under the influence of drugs.
But despite the concerns about his physical and mental state, he did not receive any medical treatment.
At one stage, he also allegedly assaulted a woman in his apartment, although this was not reported until after his death.
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Spence said that about 8.43pm that evening Stock left his apartment building in a t-shirt, pants and socks but no shoes and was seen soon afterwards mumbling incoherently and wandering onto the road in Albert Street.
Two people walking along the street called Triple 0 for an ambulance and waited with Stock until the ambulance arrived.
But Stock was unco-operative with ambulance officers, repeatedly wandering onto the road, and requests were made for police assistance, Spence said.
A patrol car from the Moonee Ponds Police Station was despatched and arrived at the scene with flashing lights and sirens about 9.40pm. While the police were en route, ambulance officers had offered Stock a foil thermal blanket, but he flung it away and it flew into power lines, causing a local blackout, including to traffic lights at the Sydney Road-Albert Street intersection, Spence said.
When the Senior-Constable and Constable arrived, Stock became further aggravated and ran through traffic in Albert Street towards Sydney Road with police in pursuit on foot.
After a short chase, police brought Stock to ground and attempted to restrain him.
The Constable used capsicum spray, and with the assistance of fire officers who had attended to deal with the blackout, he was handcuffed with his hands behind his back, Spence said.
The scuffles with police lasted for almost three minutes.
At this stage, it was noticed that Stock was unresponsive. Paramedics observed a weak pulse and conducted CPR until he was stabilised and taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital where he was placed in the intensive care unit.
A urine sample taken that night found evidence of drugs including amphetamines, benzodiazepines and cannabinoids in his system.
He died on June 10 when his condition deteriorated and his life support was switched off.
An investigation was launched by the Homicide Squad and the police Professional Standards Department the day before Stock died. An autopsy was conducted on June 12, but no cause of death is currently available, Spence said.
Investigators have collected statements from the two police officers, three fire officers and other witnesses, Spence said. They have also reviewed CCTV and mobile phone footage and images and obtained Stock’s medical records.
Investigators will also collect statements from paramedics and family members, medical and toxicology reports and transcripts of emergency services communications.
But Spence said the investigation had been hampered by a lack of CCTV footage of the police incident because of the blackout and by only one of the two police officers having activated their body worn camera.
Coroner Jamieson said it was still “early days” and has adjourned the court until November when a full brief of evidence will be submitted.
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