Robber who died after citizens' arrest was prolific Wolverhampton criminal David McTaggart
A robber who died in hospital days after he was detained in a citizens' arrest was a serial criminal well known to the police.
Two members of the public held David McTaggart in Stafford Road, Wolverhampton, after he tried to grab a woman's bag, police told an inquest.
Officers were called to the scene, near the junction of Church Road, and McTaggart was arrested.
However the 29-year-old fell ill and officers began to perform CPR until paramedics arrived to take over.
He was taken to New Cross Hospital and died three days later.
A post mortem was carried out and the brief cause of death given as hypoxic brain injury, bronchopneumonia and cardiac arrest, the opening of the inquest at Black Country Coroner's Court on Thursday was told.
Detective Superintendent Mark Payne told the inquest that three separate investigations had now been launched into the death of McTaggart, who lived at Greenwood Road in Wolverhampton.
Det Supt Payne added: "We have a set of circumstances where a robbery had occurred then intervention of members of the public happened before police arrived and arrested him.
"Three separate investigations have been launched into the robbery, the circumstances of the members of the public and the involvement of the police.
"We are satisfied that he was involved with it. We are reasonably satisfied that we are aware of what happened in the robbery.
"We have CCTV and will look at the actions of the members of the public to see if anything contributed to his death.
"This was a violent robbery which the public intervened in as they came to the aid of a lady being robbed and acted as good Samaritans.
"It is clear that we have in place a good process to help with the police investigation and the IPCC investigation," added Det Supt Payne.
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Senior Coroner Zafar Siddique adjourned the inquest until February 27.
He said: "In the interim period I would like to request any CCTV, bodycam and interview footage. I will also like an update on the medical cause of death."
The incident happened in the early hours of October 16 and McTaggart died on October 19. McTaggart was one of the most prolific car key burglars the region has ever seen.
The 25-year-old was first identified by the Express & Star in 2010, when it was revealed how he had stolen high performance cars worth £265,000 from the Black Country and Staffordshire.
In a 2am raid in April 2009, he and his gang struck at a house in Abbeyfield Road, Bushbury, Wolverhampton.
The householder was woken by his burglar alarm and looked outside to see his £43,500 Mercedes C320 being driven away.
Other raids involved a £24,000 Subaru Impreza stolen from Taunton Avenue, Pendeford, Wolverhampton, on May 4 that year.
The same month, a £30,000 Audi TT was taken from a garage in Aldersley Road, Wolverhampton. His downfall began when an accomplice in his gang, which police say often had four or more members, was arrested in an Audi TT.
When officers searched the offender's phone, they found pictures of McTaggart with some of the stolen cars.
There was anger among police officers when, in 2010, a judge decided to spare McTaggart prison so he could be treated for his paranoid schizophrenia.
Judge Michael Challinor said he would normally have imposed a four-year sentence but instead gave him the chance to seek treatment.
Soon after, McTaggart went on the run from Birmingham's Elliott House hostel and started living on the streets.
He was arrested after a month, and in August 2010, he was handed a four year sentence by Judge Challinor. McTaggart then had a four-year prison term extended by 12 months in 2010.
Then aged 23, he had sped away from police through parts of Bushbury and Low Hill in a stolen black Jaguar sports car.
A pursuing police car filmed him in the £40,000 Jaguar reaching speeds of 80mph along residential streets, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told at the time.
His car lifted off the ground after careering over speed humps, before he drove the wrong way around Showell Circus in Low Hill.
