Image

Mitch Henriquez and his cousin Mary Jacopucci-Wilson (Picture: Facebook/Mary Jacopucci-Wilson)
- Credit:
Mitch Henriquez and his cousin Mary Jacopucci-Wilson (Picture: Facebook/Mary Jacopucci-Wilson)
Monday, 29 June 2015 - 15:58
Prosecutor: Aruban man was unwell before dying in custody
The Public Prosecutor has retracted its initial statement on the events leading up to Mitch Henriquez' death in The Hague this weekend.
Henriquez was arrested at the Night at the Park festival in The Hague on Saturday night. He resisted arrest and the police had to use force, investigators claim. According to the Public Prosecutor's initial statement, Henriquez became unwell en route to the police station. Police officers started CPR and an ambulance to Henriquez to the hospital in critical condition.
Videos of Henriquez arrest show, however, that the man seem to be unwell even before he was taken to the police van. "We are therefore retracting previously drawn conclusions, so that the State Investigation Department can do its job without prejudice", a spokesperson for the Prosecutor said, RTL Nieuws reports.
The man was arrested for allegedly shouting that he had a weapon, but according to the Public Prosecutor, it seems that he did not have a weapon at the time of his arrest.
The Aruban society is very shocked by Henriquez' death. The opposition party on the island, Electorale Volksbeweging, has demanded that the Dutch government do a "thorough investigation" into the circumstances surrounding his death.