Man crashes into Amsterdam police car, motorbikes multiple times

A man in a van crashed into a police car multiple times on Muntplein in Amsterdam on Friday morning. Two police officers were in the van when the crash took place at around 4:30 a.m., the Amsterdam police said on Twitter. The man also drove over two police motorcycles, which did not have officers on them at the time.

The motorcycles were set up on the street as part of a roadblock meant to stop the man, the police said. The police then fired gunshots as a warning, and used pepper spray to get the suspect under control.

He was taken into custody and treated for minor injuries. At least one police officer was also hurt in the incident. Police has said the officers who were in the car when the suspect crashed into them would be examined for injuries. 

The van he was driving also caught on fire, the police said. Many of the circumstances surrounding this incident were still unclear later in the morning, however a police spokesperson told broadcaster AT5 that no chase occurred, contradicting earlier media reports.

"The van that drove into the police car came out of nowhere," the spokesperson said.

Busje ingereden op politiewagen #Muntplein #Amsterdam, bestuurder aangehouden en busje is in de brand gevlogen pic.twitter.com/YuxEjGe1wg

— Michel van Bergen (@mvbergen) September 11, 2020