Family of teenager who died following police pursuit join others in mourning at vigil

• Family believe Brandon’s ADHD pushed him into a ‘fight or flight’ response
• Officers were found to have acted accordingly despite breaking two pursuit procedures
• Featured image credit: Family handout.

Brandon Geasley was just 18 when he died following a police pursuit involving GMP police.

He died after he smashed into an oncoming car while driving the wrong way down the M60 in May 2021.

Car reported stolen

The car had been reported stolen earlier that day from Bramhall, although at the inquest following Brandon’s death the coroner determined he was not responsible for the theft.

Officers had initially been dispatched to search for the vehicle and found Brandon on Altrincham Road, at which point he drove away.

Brandon reached speeds of 130mph as he entered the M60 towards Stockport before officers lost him. He was soon reported to be driving on the M60 again, this time in the wrong direction.

After being chased a second time by officers, Brandon’s vehicle collided with another car. Both drivers lost their lives.

The inquest identified two deviations from GMP’s pursuit procedure: officers’ failure to seek authorisation to pursue; and an incorrect assumption that the North West Motorway Policing Group had taken control of the case when it reached the motorway, meaning there was no leader overseeing the pursuit as it happened.

However, the inquest ruled that the deviations did not play a role in Brandon’s death, and an IOPC investigation determined that officers “acted in accordance with their training”.

High-pressure situation

The Northern Police Monitoring Project is a community organisation which aims to tackle what they claim is police violence, harassment, and racism within the police.

In February, the NPMP held a candlelit vigil in remembrance of those who had died in circumstances involving police pursuits.

Speaking at the vigil, Brandon’s sister Josephine Mullally said: “As soon as you get somebody into fight or flight, what are they gonna do? My little brother had ADHD. If he’s put into a high-pressure situation where he has to choose which way out of a situation, he’s going to run. It’s his biology that’s pushing him to do that.”