Death after arrest: Five minutes of radio silence and turned off body cameras
Created: 05/19/2022, 17:54
By: Thomas Eldersch
In Regensburg, a man dies during an arrest.
Now it turned out that the police officers turned off their body cams.
© imago images / icon image
At the end of a police operation near Regensburg in mid-March, a man was dead. To this day it is not clear how he died.
Now new details came to light.
Wenzenbach – At the end of a police operation in Wenzenbach (Regensburg district) in mid-March, a suspected criminal is dead. Why has not yet been clarified.
Even an autopsy yielded no clear indication of the cause of death.
Now new details came to light.
But there is still no initial suspicion against the police officers.
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Dead after arrest near Regensburg: autopsy does not provide clear results
It is a mysterious case that took place near Regensburg on the evening of March 20th.
The 31-year-old Daniel S. is said to have set fire to Grünthal and messed with a local resident who wanted to stop him.
The wife of the resident, who was injured with an iron bar, then pursued the attacker and alerted the police.
She was able to ask him a short time later.
The mentally ill 31-year-old resisted the arrest.
A second police patrol was added.
The suspect's hands and legs were tied.
During this he passed out and his breathing stopped.
He died on the spot, despite attempts by officers to revive him.
A subsequent autopsy was ordered but did not bring any certainty.
The public prosecutor's office said: "A heart attack and death as a result of direct asphyxiation could be ruled out.
Apart from traces of being stopped on the arms of the deceased, there was also no evidence of intense violence.” The family lawyer, Philipp Pruy, however, called for another autopsy.
The reason was wounds on the forehead and temples.
However, coroners ruled out that the death could be related.
Police patrols turned off their body cams during the operation
But what happened that evening in March?
Recordings from the police officers' bodycams could have provided information on this.
"As far as I know, both the first patrol on site and the following patrol had bodycams with them.
I can't say why no bodycam was switched on," said prosecutor Thomas Rauscher.
He also points out in BR that the use of the cameras is voluntary.
Lawyer Pruy now pounces on this new detail.
It is understandable that the cameras were switched off during the first patrol in the tumult of the situation.
"But I don't understand why the second patrol that was called didn't switch on their body cams." It was finally foreseeable that it could be a difficult operation, the BR said.
Deadly police operation near Regensburg: Five minutes of radio silence
Another strange detail has now also come to light.
When the 31-year-old was secured by the police patrol, they radioed.
Then there was five minutes of radio silence.
The officers then called an ambulance.
The suspect is no longer responsive.
Pruy: "The question is what happened in the five minutes." Only the bodycams could have provided a clear answer.
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Prosecutor Rauscher stated that two witnesses observed the arrest and described it as "professional".
However, Pruy doubts that the witnesses would have the necessary expertise to correctly assess the situation.
In any case, her statement is now being compared with the autopsy results.
It is hoped that this will provide new insights into the cause of death.
According to the public prosecutor's office in Regensburg, there is no initial suspicion against the officials, which is why they are not being investigated.
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