Rashan Charles
Rashan Charles died after he was chased and restrained by police in a shop on Kingsland Road, east London, where he swallowed an object on 23 July 2017 Facebook/LorraineKing

The 20-year-old London man whose death after an encounter with police sparked violent protests in the British capital did not swallow a controlled substance before he died.

Analysis shows that the object removed from the throat of father-of-one, Rashan Charles, "did not contain a controlled substance", watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Commission found.

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Footage that emerged on social media, which has not since been verified, appeared to show at least one police officer restrain Charles in a shop in Dalston, east London.

CCTV showed an officer pursue Charles into a shop followed by a struggle on the floor and he appeared to put his hand to his mouth and became ill shortly after.

His death on 22 July sparked protests with police in Hackney. Charles's family has called for calm following the clashes.

The IPCC said it had "received results of forensic analysis of an object that was removed from Rashan's airway by paramedics. The object did not contain a controlled substance.

"Our independent investigation is thoroughly examining all aspects of police interaction with Rashan prior to his death and has already undertaken a large number of investigative actions."