An arrest team was deployed on Friday afternoon to remove a confused man from a house in Sprang-Capelle. The man was hanging out of the window of his house on Constantijnstraat around half past four, shouting. He had smashed the window with a hammer. According to police, the man also had a crossbow with him.
Officers tried for hours to calm the man down. A police negotiator was deployed, but he was also unable to contact him. The situation remained tense and several emergency services responded.
Ambulances were ready and the fire brigade from Breda came with a rescue cushion. The Sprang-Capelle fire brigade was called because the man may have previously turned on a gas tap in a house in Waalwijk.
Arrest team intervenes
When negotiations had no effect, the police decided to deploy the SWAT team around half past six. According to bystanders, a tear gas canister was shot in first. Three shots were then fired by the arrest team, who then entered the house and overpowered the man.
The man was handcuffed, had a hood over his head and was taken outside. At the ambulance he was placed on a stretcher and strapped down. He was taken to hospital for further treatment. Local residents say it is not the first time the man has caused a nuisance.
Drone pilot arrested
While the emergency services were busy in Constantijnstraat, someone from the neighborhood decided to fly close to the cordoned off area with a drone. The police themselves also had drones in the air.
Officers immediately started looking for the drone pilot and found him in the Trampad. The man was arrested and his drone was seized. According to officers it was ‘an extremely dangerous and stupid action’.