Details of the incident, between junctions 21 and 20 of the motorway on Sunday have been revealed as the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) continues an investigation into the death of 18-year-old Logan, from Weston-super-Mare.
The IOPC is investigating the actions and decisions taken by Avon and Somerset Police prior to his death, which happened at around 11pm.
“We have established that Logan Smith aged 18 and from Weston-super-Mare, was being taken to hospital in an ambulance when, at just after 11pm, due to the concerns of ambulance staff, the vehicle stopped on the hard shoulder of the Northbound M5,” an IOPC spokesperson said.
“Logan got out of the ambulance near the junction for Weston-super-Mare and entered the live lanes of the motorway.
“Ambulance staff called the police for assistance and a single-crewed officer arrived at the scene shortly after.
“Body-worn video footage we have viewed shows the officer attempted to engage with Logan and a short time later discharged their Taser, causing Logan to fall to the ground.
“Soon afterwards, he was struck by a car travelling along the southbound carriageway.”
Despite being given emergency first aid, Logan sadly died at the scene.
IOPC director, Derrick Campbell, said: “My thoughts and sympathies are with Logan’s family and friends and everyone affected by this shocking and tragic incident.
“We want to reassure everyone that we will independently investigate all the circumstances surrounding this incident, including the use of a Taser.
“After being notified by the force, we sent our investigators to the police post incident procedure to begin gathering evidence.
“We have taken initial accounts from the officer and ambulance staff involved.
“We met with Logan’s family on Tuesday, to give our condolences, explain our role and to provide some further detail about our investigation, including a Taser being discharged during the incident.
“We will continue to keep them updated and they request that their privacy be respected at such a difficult time.”
The coroner has been informed and formal identification and a post-mortem have taken place, the IOPC added.
