Key facts
- John Makai, 58, died in 2023 from a serious head injury that went untreated in a Broadmeadows police cell.
- CCTV footage showed Makai being unresponsive in the cell, despite officers claiming he responded.
- Victoria police apologized for Makai's death, stating his care did not meet community expectations.
- Failures included not completing a medical checklist, noticing his deteriorating condition, and conducting adequate checks.
- An initial ambulance call was cancelled, and a subsequent request was not logged due to a Triple Zero Victoria issue.
- Makai was diagnosed with non-survivable brain trauma at the hospital and died two days later.
Victoria police have apologized to the family of John Makai, a 58-year-old father of 10, who died in 2023 from a serious head injury that went untreated for five hours in a Broadmeadows police cell. The Victorian coroner’s court heard on Monday that Makai was unresponsive in the cell, despite officers twice claiming he had responded when checked on.
Footage shown in court depicted Makai being dragged from a divisional van into police cells and repeatedly failing to respond. Andrew Imrie, representing Victoria police chief commissioner Mike Bush, offered sincere condolences and stated that Makai’s care was not at the standard expected by the community. He acknowledged failures in completing a medical checklist, noticing Makai's deteriorating condition, conducting a risk assessment, and performing adequate checks.
An ambulance had initially been called but was cancelled after Makai was involved in an altercation with his sons. Police attended the scene and observed Makai struggling to stand and collapsing. He was then supported to a police van, where he had to be dragged out, hitting his head. At the station, he was placed in a "coma position" and made no verbal response.
A request for an ambulance at 1:25 a.m. was not logged as outstanding due to an issue with Triple Zero Victoria, and the job was not dispatched until five hours later, after police found Makai unresponsive. The initial request had been interpreted as a minor facial injury and drunkenness, with paramedics informed he was in a deep sleep. However, counsel assisting the coroner, Rachel Ellyard, stated that what was perceived as sleep was actually the increasing effects of a traumatic brain injury.
When paramedics finally arrived, Makai showed signs of brain injury and was transported to hospital, where he was diagnosed with a non-survivable brain trauma. He died two days later. Ryan Goon, director of operations support for Triple Zero Victoria, testified that the initial ambulance request was wrongly cancelled because the first caller had later cancelled it. The inquest, expected to last two weeks, will examine the cause of death, potential treatment if he had gone to hospital, and policy changes made since Makai's death.