A Melbourne magistrate has dismissed manslaughter charges against two Victoria Police officers over the death of tradesman Luke Briggs, 35, explicitly rejecting comparisons drawn to the death of George Floyd in the United States. Constable Alexander Papanastassis and Sergeant James Fitzgerald had been charged with negligent manslaughter after Briggs died in July 2024, eight days after being restrained during an arrest in a Hoppers Crossing car park. Magistrate Patrick Southey ruled the evidence was too weak to support a conviction, saying officers had done "the best they could" in the circumstances, even though it was "not a perfect job".

Southey acknowledged that Briggs, like Floyd, had said "I can't breathe" while being restrained, but said the parallels ended there, noting Briggs was a large, powerful man behaving irrationally due to methamphetamine use. Briggs became unresponsive during the arrest; officers performed CPR before he was taken to hospital, where he died in intensive care surrounded by family. Both officers, who have been suspended since the incident, were awarded costs, though Southey noted the ruling does not affect the family's separate civil suit against the state or preclude prosecutors from bringing fresh criminal charges.