Eight cops charged in Rotterdam taser arrest that left their suspect dead
Eight police officers will be prosecuted in connection with the arrest of a 32-year-old man who died after Taser electroshock weapon was deployed, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced on Thursday. The officers are suspected of violating guidelines dictating when the use of police force is warranted.
The incident happened at about 11:15 p.m. on June 9. The OM said police responded to a report of a traffic incident on ‘s Gravenweg where the 32-year-old reportedly crashed his bicycle into a car for no apparent reason.
“To gain control of the man, the taser was used so that he could be handcuffed. Bringing this man under control and keeping him under control took a long time, and the man became unwell at some point,” the OM said. Police officers and paramedics were unable to revive the man when police realized he was unconscious. He was pronounced dead in a hospital a short time later.
The cause of death was ruled to be a direct result of the tactics police used to restrain the man. “All eight officers, in varying combinations, kept the man under control while he lay on the ground,” the OM alleged.
A change in the law following other high profile incidents where police used force, including the death of Mitch Henriquez, led to a change in the law where police officers can be held criminally responsible when they break rules about the use of force. They can be prosecuted when someone is injured or killed as a result.
“The instructions state exactly when and how police officers, who are the only people allowed to use violence in the Netherlands, may use that force. This violence must take place within the limits of proportionality and subsidiarity,” the OM said.
The criminal case is a result of an investigation by the Rijksrecherche. The organization investigates all use of violence by police officers in the course of their work.
“The victim's relatives and the officers involved have now been informed of the Public Prosecution Service's decision. It is not yet known when the officers will appear in court,” the OM said.
