Inquiry into death of man after police fire taser during arrest

A 32-year-old man has died in Rotterdam shortly after police fired a taser while arresting him during a street disturbance.

Officers were called to ‘s-Gravenweg in the Kralingen district at around 11.15pm on Sunday after the man reportedly jumped on top of a car. Other reports said he had damaged a vehicle after riding his bike head-on into it.

He fell unconscious shortly after police used a taser to restrain him. Paramedics were unable to revive him at the scene and he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving in hospital.

The internal investigation bureau Rijksrecherche has begun an inquiry into the man’s death, which is standard procedure for deaths during police operations.

Toxicology tests will also be carried out to see if alcohol, medication or drugs affected the man’s behaviour.

Neighbours claimed that up to 10 police officers forcibly restrained the man and pinned him to the ground until he stopped moving.

Two carers who were looking after an elderly man in a nearby house told AD.nl they had watched the incident unfold from the balcony.

“After they’d overpowered him the first time, he tried to get up again,” said one. “Then they all sat on top of him, I was horrified.”

Her colleague said the man tried to resist at first, but the officers pinned him down. “The screaming slowly turned to crying,” she said. “And then suddenly it went quiet,” the first carer added. “‘He’s dead,’ I said straight away.”