The Madrid police officer arrested for strangling a suspected thief to death has been released.
The officer held him by the neck after he tried to steal his cell phone.
BarcelonaThe Madrid Municipal Police officer arrested for accidentally killing a man who allegedly tried to steal his cell phone has been released on bail. The decision was made by the magistrate of Examining Magistrate's Court No. 1 of Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid) after the man was brought before the State Security Forces on Thursday morning.
However, the Madrid Municipal Police officer—who, following these events, has had his passport revoked and is required to appear in court one day a week—is being investigated for alleged negligent homicide. The charges and the bailout measures adopted could be amended once the first autopsy report from the forensic services, which must determine the exact cause of the alleged thief's death, is released.
At the time of the incident, the police officer was off duty and strangled the alleged thief, a 35-year-old man, while holding him until the arrival of the patrols. The incident occurred this Tuesday in the Madrid municipality of Torrejón de Ardoz. According to Efe, the police officer will be brought before a judge this Thursday.
At around 11:30 p.m. this Tuesday, the alleged thief stole the officer's phone. The officer was with another police officer, a retired officer from the same force. The thief fled but was intercepted by the officer, who held him on the ground using the mattress maneuver. This is a neck restraint maneuver, which the police officer applied until the arrival of uniformed officers.
Upon handcuffing the alleged thief, the uniformed National Police officers observed that he was practically unconscious and in cardiac arrest and notified the Summa 112 emergency services, who confirmed his death by strangulation despite resuscitation efforts.
