Man arrested with cop’s knee on his chest still in critical condition

A 37-year-old man from Hengelo arrested in Borne late last week with a police officer’s knee on his chest is still in critical condition. He is in a coma in the hospital, lawyer Richard Korver, who is assisting the man’s family, said to RTV Oost.

Korver has a lot of questions about this arrest, which left a seemingly healthy 37-year-old man still comatose in hospital almost a week later. A person involved in this case said that video footage exists of when the man became unwell and his arrest in Borne. A struggle allegedly preceded the man’s collapse, possibly because he resisted arrest, the involved person said. Korver would like to see this footage.

The police arrested the man in Borne late last week after he showed suspicious driving behavior. According to the broadcaster, a saliva test showed that he may have been under the influence of drugs. On the way to the police station in Hengelo, the man became unwell in the back seat of the patrol car.

Video in RTV Oost’s possession shows two officers dragging the man from the car. One of the cops put his knee on the seemingly unconscious man’s chest at least twice.

“What happened during the arrest? What actually happened in the police car after the arrest? What did the first aid provided look like? When was professional medical assistance called in? I am going to do everything I can to get to the truth,” Korver said. “We are talking about a 37-year-old man who I understand was in good health. Why in God’s name did it end like this?”

Korver submitted a request to the Public Prosecution Service (OM) for access to all available video images from surveillance cameras at the place of arrest and along the route that the police car took that evening. He would also like to see police bodycam footage if there is any available.

The Rijksrecherche, the department that handles internal investigations at government services like the police, is investigating the incident. A spokesperson for the OM told RTV Oost that they didn’t want to get ahead of that investigation. “Concerning the questions there are, we assume that the investigation by the Rijksrecherche will answer those as much as possible.”