Man arrested for threatening traffic controller, assaulting cops

A 36-year-old man from Heerlen was arrested in Tilburg on Monday night after he threatened a traffic controller with death and then assaulted a number of police officers, Omroep Brabant reports.

The man lost it when a traffic controller instructed him to wait at the crossing of Ringbaan-West and Van Limburg Stirumlaan around 11:00 p.m. The Heerlen man became aggressive, threatened the traffic controller with death, took his two-way radio and smashed it on the ground. Then the suspect walked up Van Limburg Stirumlaan.

Police officers happened to be on Van Limburg Stirumlaan, attending to a car fire. The traffic controller told them what happened.

The officers tried to stop the man, but he kept walking. One of the officers grabbed him by the arm, and was punched in the chest. The suspect grabbed the officer by the neck and tried to bite him. Another officer intervened and stopped the man from biting his colleague.

The man was handcuffed and taken to a police station. He remained aggressive during the ride, threatening and shouting at the officers. At the police station, the man pinched another officer who tried to put him in a cell.

The traffic controller and involved police officers all filed charges against the man. He is suspected of assault, attempted assault, threats, insult and destruction of property.