DThe State Criminal Police Office (LKA) Baden-Württemberg has taken over the investigation into a police operation in Mannheim after a man died. According to LKA information, two officers checked the 47-year-old on Monday near the market square around noon. He defended himself against the control and was then overpowered by the police, it said. Videos later circulated on the Internet showing an officer hitting the man’s head.
The police officers used “immediate coercion” during the control, the LKA said. The investigators did not elaborate on this point. According to her, the man suddenly collapsed and had to be revived. Paramedics then took him to the hospital, where he eventually died.
It was initially unclear why the man should have suddenly collapsed. His body was confiscated for further investigation. The LKA took over the investigations – in particular the course of the police operation. The police subsequently did not comment on the incident.
Demonstrators make allegations
Left groups called for clarification on social media. According to a police spokesman, around 100 to 150 people gathered in the market square in the evening. Demonstrators accused the police of racially motivated violence on signs. The LKA wrote on Twitter: “To prevent false reports, the deceased is NOT a Turkish citizen.” The nationality of the man was not initially disclosed.
A doctor from the Central Institute for Mental Health in Mannheim had informed the police about the 47-year-old, who was a needy patient. The two officers and the doctor then went looking for the man and finally discovered him in the city center.
The LKA Baden-Württemberg accepts witness information on 0800-503 503 533. Videos can be submitted via the police information portal.