Disaster tourists block first responders from helping blood-soaked man

By Zack Newmark on March 31, 2019 - 23:34
Ambulance on Grote Markt in Den Haag
An ambulance on the Grote Marktstraat in Den Haag where bystanders made it difficult to reach the victim. 31 March 2019. (photo: politie_den_haag_binnenstad / Instagram)

Bystanders on the Grote Markt in Den Haag made it difficult for police to help a man who had stabbed himself with a knife, authorities said. Paramedics and officers were trying to reach a victim who had stabbed himself with a knife around 4:40 p.m.

"In the crowd, kids and various people were shooting video of someone who was bleeding profusely," police said. "We had to turn on our sirens at the scene to get the public to move to the side."

Street enforcement agents managed to give the victim first aid while awaiting the ambulance. The victim's condition was not revealed.

Police did issue an appeal to the public later that day considering the difficulty they faced. "Please give consideration, give the rescuers some space, and consider the real value of filming such an incident," authorities said. 

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