Detectives imprisoned for shooting at innocent people in cars

Two police detectives accused of drawing their weapons and opening fire on two cars in Schiedam were sent to prison for 18 months each, according to newswire ANP. The two were accused of attempted manslaughter, filing a false report and perjury following the March 26, 2013 incident. The sentence handed down on Thursday matched the demand made by the Public Prosecutor in closing arguments. At the time of the shooting, the officers claimed that they were firing on the cars in self defense, as one of the vehicles drove towards them on the 's-Gravelandseweg in a threatening manner. No evidence presented in the case could prove an aggressive act against the detectives took place, and one of the officers later retracted his statement. The Rotterdam court presiding over the case determined the self-defense argument to be without merit. Officers were initially in pursuit of the vehicles because they believed one of the two was stolen, when in actuality those sitting in the automobiles were not engaged in criminal activity.