He thought he would just walk home quietly after a night out in Breda. But in Nieuwstraat a young man was suddenly knocked down from behind. “That does something to your worldview,” he says. The police now share images of the suspect in the Bureau Brabant program.
It happened on Sunday night, December 21, around four o’clock. The victim had been out with friends and then walked back with a friend. At that moment there was a group of about six boys in the Nieuwstraat.
“They verbally harassed us a little bit,” says the victim. “We weren’t too worried about that. We walked past them and one of those guys talked to us a bit. Nothing that would scare me that much.”
Slap from behind
Yet it didn’t stop there. The group eventually followed the victim and his friend. When the victim paused for a moment, a brief discussion ensued. The images show that one of the boys seems to want to calm the situation.
The later suspect first walks away from the group. But then he suddenly turns around. He walks back to the victim, who stands with his back to him.
Then the suspect lashes out. He hits the victim in the head from behind. The young man cannot defend himself and falls hard to the ground.
His friend then pushes the suspect away. He falls, but quickly gets back up. Then he runs away, without the rest of the group.
He feels less safe
The abuse has a major impact on the victim. “The fact that you are knocked unconscious out of nowhere does something to your worldview,” he says. “I always assumed that if you walk home as two men, it is safe. Apparently it is not.”
Since that night, he has looked at groups on the street differently. “I was really afraid of every group that I saw on the street. I have now been able to put that into perspective a bit. But it was quite bad, especially in the beginning.”
The physical consequences are also serious. The impact breaks off a molar, an incisor and a canine. In addition, he has had complaints that resemble a concussion for weeks.
Police looking for suspect
The police share images showing the suspect. He wore light gray pants and a light gray hoodie that night. He also has dark hair, a light skin tone and was wearing light shoes.
Bureau Brabant is broadcast every Monday at 5:15 PM.
