Drug use investigated in Waddinxveen fatal arrest
Toxicological tests will be done on the blood of 39-year-old Paul Selier from The Hague who died after being arrested in Waddinxveen on Friday morning, the Public Prosecutor announced. The Prosecutor wants to determine whether drug- or medicine use can explain the man's "disturbed behavior".
The results of the blood tests will also be taken into account in determining the victim's cause of death.
The police responded to Waddinxveen on Friday morning after reports of a disturbed man on the public road. Eyewitnesses say he got out of his car and kneeled on the road surface, according to NOS.
A passerby recorded the arrest and the video was broadcast by Omroep West. The video seemed to show one police officer punching the man eight times in a 35-second period. An officer can be heard yelling "Cooperate, damn it!" in Dutch to the suspect.
The Rijksrecherche, the department that handles internal investigations at the police, is investigating what happened under the direction of the Public Prosecutor in The Hague. Four police officers involved in the arrest were questioned, according to NOS. They have not been suspended.
An autopsy was done on Selier's body over the weekend. So far the Prosecutor released no information about the cause or time of Selier's death.
The Prosecutor could not say when the results of the investigation will be made known.
A protest against police brutality is being arranged in The Hague later this month.
