The man, believed to have been aged in his 20s, was Tasered when he confronted the police officers after they interrupted him trying to break into a house in Helen Street, Sefton, just after midnight, police said. Staff at Liverpool Hospital work on the man tasered by police. Credit:Gary Dring/Matt Black Production It is the second fatality in two days to occur during a police arrest, coming 24 hours after Arncliffe man Steven Bosevski died after being sprayed with capsicum spray and hit with a baton at St George Leagues Club at Kogarah. In today's fatality, the two officers told the suspect to drop his knives and, when he continued to run at them, one constable fired his Taser, police say. When the officers went to handcuff the man, they found he was unconscious.

Deputy Commissioner Dave Owens has reviewed the footage taken from the camera fitted to the Taser and said the whole incident took place within seconds. Police at the scene of the fatal Taser incident. Credit:Nick Moir Domestic dispute Six officers had been called out to a domestic dispute at the house, Bankstown police duty officer, Chief Inspector Glen Fitzgerald, said. A teenager who lives nearby said she heard the man in the alleyway behind the property before he started banging loudly on the door and calling out a Vietnamese name.

"He was demanding the door be opened," she said, adding that neighbours living above the converted shop started yelling out for him to go away. In a split second the officers involved made a decision which I believe may have saved their lives.Had he not been successful I certainly believe the consequences could have been tragic for one or both of the officers involved. The police arrived five minutes later and tried to tackle the man to the ground. She said she then heard a zap, which she believes was the sound of a Taser. "Ten minutes later an ambulance came and they were trying to revive him," she said.

She said whoever was living in the bottom apartment did not make a sound during the incident. Another neighbour said the woman who lived there had only just moved in to the property. Police were speaking to the teenager this morning. Assistant Commissioner Frank Minnelli said some officers went to the front of the house and some to the back of the house. "Police at the rear of the premises were confronted by the male person holding the knife. I've been told that there were two knives that he had, one in each hand, and police officers then utilised his Tasers [sic] to disarm him," Mr Minnelli told radio station 2UE.

The man lost consciousness as police arrested him, Chief Inspector Fitzgerald said. Officers tried to give him CPR but he was pronounced dead at Liverpool Hospital a short time later. Chief Inspector Fitzgerald said he would not say how many times the officer used his Taser on the man. "We're looking after the police and their welfare and at this point the police are very comfortable with the circumstances surrounding this incident," he said. A crime scene has been established and the critical incident team will investigate. A post-mortem examination will be performed on the man.

Anyone with information should phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. 'Split second decision' Assistant Commissioner Minnelli defended police officers' use of Tasers during incidents in which potential offenders are armed. "You've got to bear in mind that a police officer has a split second to make a decision when he's confronted by a volatile situation," he said. "And in that split second [an officer] decides whether to use capsicum spray, a Taser, or even his Glock pistol, whichever he feels is the most efficient resource to use at that time to protect himself and members of the community," he said.

NSW Council of Civil Liberties president Cameron Murphy said police were using Tasers and capsicum spray more and more to get people to comply with "simple directions". "The police are using it rather than to stop someone who's wielding a knife or a gun but using it to get someone to comply with directions," Mr Murphy told 2UE. "Tasers and, to a lesser degree, capsicum spray, are deadly weapons; they're lethal weapons. They're just less lethal than a firearm." Mr Murphy cited statistics on Taser use by the NSW Police during a trial in 2008 and 2009, which showed that most targets were unarmed during incidents in which a Taser was used. "There are cases of course where police have used them responsibly, most of the cases are ones involving people attempting suicide," he said.

"But in almost half the cases reported between 2008 and 2009, they were simply used by police to get people to comply with simple directions." Assistant Commissioner Minnelli rejected suggestions Tasers were used as "move-on" devices. - with AAP Loading Georgina Robinson is smh.com.au's Chief Reporter.

ge.robinson@smh.com.au

