A mechanic has admitted killing a man detained by members of the public as part of a 'citizen's arrest'.
Benjamin Hunt, 32, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Christopher Walters during a hearing at Stafford Crown Court.
His co-accused and colleague, 50-year-old Jonathan Hassall, of Longton, passed away last week just days before the start of his manslaughter trial.
Hunt, who worked at New Road Garage in Longton, is due to be sentenced on April 16, Stoke-on-Trent Live reports.
The newspaper previously reported how Mr Walters, from Bentilee, was detained in Longton by members of the public as part of a 'citizen's arrest'.
It followed reports of a hammer-wielding man damaging vehicles in the area.
The 25-year-old was later pronounced dead at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.
Staffordshire Police initially arrested three men in connection with the May, 2019 tragedy.
A 21-year-old Stoke-on-Trent man was later released without charge.
Following Hunt's guilty plea, Detective Inspector Alan Lyford, from Staffordshire Police, said: “This is a truly tragic case and we offer our condolences to Mr Walters’ family.
"We would also thank those people who got in touch after witnessing this incident.
"It must have been distressing for them but they have assisted us in establishing what happened that afternoon.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has already investigated Staffordshire Police's contact with Mr Walters prior to his death.
An IOPC spokesman said: “We completed our investigation in October 2019 and will consider releasing our findings when the associated criminal and inquest proceedings have been concluded.”
Anyone with any additional information about Mr Walters' death should call the police on 101, quoting incident number 395 of May 15, 2019.
