Nijmegen cop suffered broken jaw in New Year's brawl; Recovery will take months
A police officer who suffered a broken jaw while trying to stop a fight in Nijmegen will require weeks to recover, said his team leader, Jeroen Schwarte, in an update on Tuesday. The incident was one of many where police officers were assaulted or abused during the New Year's Eve period. Dozens of police officers suffered injuries, many of whom reported hearing damage after being pelted with fireworks.
"One of my colleagues was seriously injured after responding to a report of an argument," Schwarte wrote. "The incident has had an enormous impact on the colleague, his family and the Nijmegen police team. The recovery will likely take months." He was still being treated for injuries in a hospital on Tuesday.
The officer responded to a report of an escalating argument involving two people on Betouwstraat on New Year's Eve. The police officer was jumped by a 23-year-old man immediately after arriving, police said. Several police officers and a café's security guard helped to break up the incident. The suspect was accused of resisting arrest when he was taken into custody.
He was still in custody on Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of aggravated assault of a police officer. He was identified as being from Nijmegen, and was quickly apprehended on the same street where the fight took place.
"The police are still looking for several witnesses who saw the incident. Even though an arrest could be made quickly, the police are still looking for people who can tell more about what exactly happened," police said.
"We do not tolerate violence and aggression against police officers and, together with the Public Prosecution Service, we give high priority to tracking down suspects in these types of incidents," Schwarte added.
