According to the Guardian, Chouviat was held on the ground by cops after being stopped by officers who apparently "believed he had been looking at his phone while on a scooter”.
A cell phone video of the incident appeared to show Chouviat "being held face down on the ground by officers, while his legs were shaking", the newspaper adds.
After a subsequent autopsy revealed signs of asphyxiation and a fractured larynx, prosecutors opened a preliminary manslaughter investigation in order to determine the circumstances of the arrest, while lawyers and human rights groups reportedly went on to criticise the restraint techniques employed by French police.