The National Criminal Investigation Department has started a fact-finding investigation into an incident in Hengelo in which two officers drag an unconscious-looking man from a police car. The National Criminal Investigation Department confirmed this on Monday after coverage of RTV Oost. In a video of the case one of the officers can be seen placing a knee on the man’s torso. Shortly before that, the man had been arrested for driving under the influence of drugs. According to RTV Oost, he is in mortal danger.
An occupant of another car filmed the incident. You can see how two officers clumsily pull the man out of the car. The man doesn’t move, but one of the officers still places a knee on his chest — twice. The other agent watches. According to RTV Oost, the man belongs to the Suryoye community, which consists of Turks, Syrians, Lebanese and Iraqis. In the Netherlands, the lion’s share of this community lives in Twente.
The police subjected the man to a saliva test last Thursday evening, which showed that he had used drugs. During the drive to the police station, where a blood test was waiting for him, he became unwell. After the two officers pulled him from the police car, an ambulance took him to hospital, where he remains on Monday, in critical condition. The National Criminal Investigation Department is now investigating how this could have happened and whether the agents in question played a bad role. Because the officers are not suspects, they will remain in office during the investigation.