In Berlin-Brandenburg, the police came under fire when a 45-year-old man died in detention. Forcible suffocation was most likely the cause of death.
A 45-year-old man passed away on Tuesday night at a Berlin hospital. He is Bulgarian, according to the German capital’s media. His identity has not been made public.
The man was acting very violently, so the neighbours phoned the police. He also appeared to have a mental illness. The individual was rioting and resisting arrest when the police came. The man was unconscious when police detained him, according to a statement from a police spokesman.
Emergency services were called to Karl Marx Boulevard in Niederlehme outside Berlin on Tuesday at 9:15 p.m. They discovered a male at the scene who, in their own words, was kicking things and slamming a car. The man persisted despite several appeals for him to quit.
The representative claimed the individual “was acting aggressively, biting, and was mentally ill.” Pepper spray had to be used by the police.
With the assistance of neighbourhood residents, the 45-year-old guy was apprehended and handcuffed; ”The handcuffs were unlocked, first aid was given, and an ambulance was called shortly after he passed out,” the statement added.
According to officials, the man was brought to a facility for additional care. Tagesspiegel, the individual was already brain dead at that point, and medical professionals found hypoxic brain damage; hypoxic brain injury results when the brain experiences a severe and protracted loss of oxygen.
The 45-year-old’s face being “forcefully” slammed into the muddy soil for several minutes, and inhaling it could account for the dirt in his mouth and lungs. However, the police officers did not mention this in the police report.
He reportedly passed away on Wednesday night from “unnatural causes”; an autopsy will be performed on the body as soon as next week.