Ex-Aston Villa star Dalian Atkinson 'went down like a ton of bricks' when police shot him with a taser, a witness told a murder trial today.
Julia Shilton told jurors she witnessed the moment PC Benjamin Monk pulled out a stun gun on the former footballer in a street in Telford, Shropshire, in 2016.
Monk, 42, then delivered 'five or six' kicks to Mr Atkinson as he lay on the floor, Ms Shilton told jurors.
Pc Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith, Monk's police partner and lover, who was also at the scene, is accused of hitting Atkinson with her police baton.
Ex-Premier League star Atkinson, 48, later died of cardio-respiratory arrest in hospital.
Monk is on trial accused of murder and manslaughter, while Bettley-Smith, 31, denies assaulting Atkinson.
Today, during the trial at Birmingham Crown Court, Ms Shilton told jurors how she saw the incident in the early hours of August 15, 2016, from the window of her home.
Police had been called by neighbours who had become concerned after seeing Mr Atkinson behaving 'erratically' outside his father's Telford home.
Ms Shilton said Mr Atkinson looked as if he was 'confused' and was 'pacing' moments before the incident.
She told the court: 'The male police officer told him to get down on the ground a couple of times.
'Mr Atkinson didn't and he turned towards the officer and he sort of made his manner like a bit more menacing.
'At that point the officer drew something in his hand and I hoped it wasn't a gun.
'I just thought it was a Taser and I heard a crackling sound... but Mr Atkinson was still stood there.
'Then I heard a crackling noise and the officer had obviously brought the Taser up again and fired again.
'At that point Mr Atkinson fell down to the ground. In layman's terms, like a ton of bricks. He just went down.'
Mrs Shilton said a parked 4x4 meant she could only see the lower half of Mr Atkinson after he fell into the road.
'There was no movement (from him) whatsoever,' she told the court.
'The male officer approached Mr Atkinson and just looked at him and then he just started kicking him.'
During cross-examination by Patrick Gibbs QC, Mrs Shilton said there were 'maybe five or six' kicks, but added: 'I really don't know, I wasn't counting the kicks. I couldn't believe what I had seen to be honest.'
Earlier, another eyewitness told the court he had seen two kicks.
Victor Swinbourne, who also watched the events from the window of his home, said: 'I saw a middle-aged gentleman facing my direction with a red dot on his chest, and I saw a male police officer with a Taser in his hand.
'I think I heard him (Atkinson) say '10,000 volts is nothing to me'.'
Mr Swinbourne also recalled hearing a sound like someone breaking a window, before two police officers backed away from Mr Atkinson while telling him to put his hands up and stand still.
The witness went on: 'He said 'I am the Messiah. You will remember this day.''
Mr Atkinson did not put his hands out to break his fall as he was Tasered for what appeared to him to be a second time, Mr Swinbourne said.
He added: 'As soon as he went down they both went in. I think the male may have been slightly first.
'I saw the male (officer) kick him a couple of times. He lifted his leg up and as he kicked him, he kicked him in his torso area.
'I remember that he kicked him in the chest and I remember it sort coming off his chest... and moving his head back.'
'It was a long time ago, however I would say the first one was probably with a bit more force than the second.'
The court earlier this week heard from Karen Wright - Mr Atkinson's partner of eight years - who revealed she spoke to the ex-football star an hour before he went to visit his father in Telford.
She revealed how Mr Atkinson was 'convinced' he would be killed by the NHS or police in the weeks before he died.
The jury was told Mr Atkinson's father Ernest, who he had gone to visit prior to the incident with the police, had since died.
But in a statement made to police at the time, which was read out in court,he said his son had arrived 'pounding' at his door claiming to be the 'Messiah' and threatening to kill him and his own brothers.
Police were later called by concerned neighbours, the court heard.
Earlier in the trial it was also heard how Monk colluded with Bettley-Smith to lie about kicking the ex-footballer in the head during the incident.
Monk said in his initial police interview that he had only kicked the former Aston Villa player once on the shoulder during the struggle in Telford, Shropshire in August 2016.
However, his defence barrister told Birmingham Crown Court earlier this week that the officer does not dispute kicking the ex-footballer twice in the head - but only did so because he was 'terrified'.
Monk denies murdering Mr Atkinson, Bettley-Smith denies assaulting him. The pair claim they used reasonable force.
Mr Atkinson, who also played for Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town, was Tasered for 33 seconds and had two bootlace prints on his forehead when he was taken to hospital, where he died.
The trial continues.