A confused man who was sitting on the roof of a house on Broekhovenseweg in Tilburg on Sunday evening fell down and was injured. The man continuously threw roof tiles down. A police arrest team has been trying for a long time to talk the man down.
According to a 112 correspondent on site, the man was already on the roof around seven o’clock and he was tired of fighting around half past ten. It looked like he was sleeping. At that moment, one of the members of the arrest team went onto the roof on a leash. The moment the victim saw someone coming onto the roof, he wanted to flee.
The victim then fell through a lean-to at the back of the house. Ambulance personnel were already on the scene and were able to provide assistance immediately. According to a 112 correspondent, the man is approachable and conscious. Looks like the shed broke its fall.
The police say that the man has been arrested and that he will receive further help. She reported earlier Sunday evening that the man was probably in a psychosis. A spokesman for the police could not say on Sunday evening what exactly happened that caused the man to fall from the roof.
Hundreds of people on the street
Earlier in the evening, a negotiator tried to talk the victim down. It did not work. Together with the arrest team, the negotiator climbed into a cherry picker to get in touch with the man. But that didn’t work either. So they decided to intervene after all.
The area around the house was cordoned off. Hundreds of people stood in the street watching.
Large air cushion
The house the man was sitting on top of is a terraced house on the Broekhovenseweg, opposite Café Bet Kolen. An elderly couple lives in the house, according to the police they have nothing to do with the man and are still staying in the house. Agents and family of the couple are inside with them.
There was a large air cushion at the front of the house, so that the man could be caught if he fell down. There was no air cushion at the back of the house.