A man has been taken to hospital with serious injuries caused by police using a chainsaw to break down the door of a house in Rotterdam.

The victim was not the target of the raid, an 18-year-old man who was wanted in connection with a street robbery.

Police turned to the chainsaw after they failed to get into the property with a battering ram and pneumatic door opener. The incident happened at 6am on Monday, the prosecution service said.

The victim was treated at the scene by a medical team before being transferred to hospital, where he needed emergency treatment. No further details about his condition have been given.

“The team didn’t want to deploy explosives, so they used a chainsaw,” a police spokesman told AD.nl. “It appears a resident who was not the suspect was directly behind the front door at the time. It is not wholly clear why he was standing there.”

The suspect was arrested in the house and taken into custody. A court will decide later this week whether to extend his detention.

The government’s internal investigation branch, the Rijksrecherche, will investigate the incident and report on whether the use of the chainsaw was justified.