Investigations into the death of a man after he was restrained by security guards in Dublin city centre are focused on whether the manner he was held at the scene, and the force used, were a factor in his death. Sources said further analysis of the postmortem on his remains was required before the reasons why he became unresponsive and died could be conclusively determined.The Congolese man, Yves Sakila, who was in his mid-30s, was suspected of shoplifting from a retailer. He was pursued by security personnel on Henry Street last Friday shortly after 5pm. He knocked an elderly man to the ground as he fled, leaving the pensioner seriously injured. The man is still hospitalised.When gardaí arrived on the scene, Sakila had been held on the ground by a group of security guards for a period. The injured man, in his 80s, was also on the ground a few metres away. The responding gardaí handcuffed Sakila in an apparent bid to get control of the situation and attend to the injured pensioner.However, almost immediately after the handcuffs were applied, gardaí realised Sakila was unwell, removed the handcuffs and began performing CPR. He was then taken to the Mater hospital where he was later pronounced dead.Video footage of the first part of the incident, involving a group of men restraining the deceased, has been circulating on messaging apps. It shows the group, at least some of whom are security personnel, holding Sakila to the ground as he is face down on the pedestrianised street.[ Iranian national sues cryptocurrency platform in High Court over alleged seizure of $2.8m assetsOpens in new window ]One of the men in the footage can be seen briefly trying to place his knee on Sakila’s head or neck to restrain him. The same man and a second person then use their hands to hold Sakila’s head or neck to the ground, while several other people hold him down by the body and legs.The footage is almost five minutes in length, during which five people can be seen holding Sakila pending the arrival of gardaí who had been alerted to what was taking place. No members of the Garda appeared to be at the scene as the footage was recorded and none appear in the video.While the Garda is carrying out an investigation into the events on Henry Street, Sakila’s death has also been referred by Garda Headquarters to Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman.Fiosrú investigates any incident where a person is seriously injured or dies at or around the time they have had contact or dealings with members of the Garda. [ Developer Harry Crosbie in dispute with hotel management firm over Vicar Street siteOpens in new window ]Under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, Garda Headquarters is legally obliged to refer such incidents to Fiosrú for investigation. The legislation is a catch-all to ensure any incident is brought to the attention of Fiosrú, even if the injury or death investigated is later found to be unrelated to the actions of gardaí.In reply to queries from The Irish Times, Fiosrú confirmed its investigators had attended the scene on Henry Street last Friday. It declined to comment on whether the man was handcuffed by gardaí before he became unresponsive.Fiosrú also confirmed it is now investigating the fatal incident.“The referral was made as a result of an incident which involved the death of an individual in the Dublin Metropolitan Region,” it said. “Fiosrú’s on-call team of investigators attended the scene.” As “the matter is now under investigation”, Fiosrú added it “cannot make any further comment”.Garda Headquarters said it had no further comment to add on the incident since a statement was released on Saturday morning.“Gardaí were alerted after security personnel detained a male on Henry Street in connection with an alleged shoplifting incident at a retail store,” it said in Saturday’s statement. “During the incident, a man in his 80s was injured as the suspect attempted to flee,” it said, adding Sakila, whom it did not name, and the elderly man were taken to the Mater hospital, where Sakila was later pronounced dead.The scene was preserved for examination, the coroner notified and a referral made to Fiosrú, the statement said. The “results of the postmortem will assist gardaí in determining the course of their investigation”, it added.Gardaí appealed to witnesses and anyone who was recording video in the area at the time to contact the investigation team at Store Street Garda station.