On July 28, we reported that two days earlier police had detained a man who was walking around Bolesławiec with a knife and damaging vehicles. The Bolesławiec KPP confirmed that such an incident had occurred, but did not provide details. We were only informed that the detained man was from Jelenia Góra and had been taken to a psychiatric hospital. And that he had indeed been carrying a knife, which the officers secured.

Shortly after the publication of that article, a Reader contacted us and passed on truly shocking information. According to our source, the man in question should have been taken to a psychiatric hospital FOUR DAYS EARLIER, on Friday, July 23. Our informant said:

He was brought to the Millennium Hospital on Friday... But beware! He was not admitted! Before he could get from the ambulance to the Admissions Department, he escaped. He escaped from the transport to the hospital.

Of course, that was not the end of the story. Not at all! Shortly afterward, the man went to one of the restaurants in Bolesławiec’s market square, where he allegedly caused a disturbance. Police intervened. On Saturday, the same thing happened: the same man caused a disturbance in another restaurant in the market square.

The man from Jelenia Góra was not idle on Sunday either. Two women reported a police intervention at one of the petrol stations. They described the incident as follows:

Patrycja: – He came to the petrol station, tried to steal something, hurled insults and threats, threw merchandise around and almost climbed behind the counter. We had to call security and the police. It’s a good thing he didn’t hurt us. And the police let him go—bravo.

Nicola: – I was there and can confirm it. The next day he came into a restaurant’s outdoor seating area and did something similar.

The owner of one of the stores in the city centre described another incident.

He wanted to get into the back room, but I was standing in the entrance. It’s frightening to think what might have happened if I had been sitting in the office.

Why did the man cause disturbances in Bolesławiec for four days?

According to our informant, the paramedics who brought the potentially dangerous man to Bolesławiec allegedly... failed to notify the police that he had escaped. The result? When officers repeatedly intervened in connection with the man from Jelenia Góra, he was not taken where he should have been taken on Friday afternoon: to the hospital on Tysiąclecia Avenue.

Was that really the case? We asked the Emergency Medical Service in Legnica about it. Its spokesperson replied:

I kindly inform you that the Emergency Medical Service in Legnica is not the dispatcher for the Medical Rescue Teams from Jelenia Góra. To obtain a possible response, you should contact the relevant dispatcher, namely the Emergency Medical Service in Jelenia Góra [...]. For my part, I can only confirm that such a call was recorded (at the call-receiving level by medical dispatch centre DM 01 02).

We asked the Jelenia Góra police about the matter. We were only able to establish that on Friday, July 23, officers from Jelenia Góra received a report that someone in Cieplice had allegedly been damaging property and tearing off car mirrors. The man who is the subject of this article was found at the scene, but the police did not find any damage and took no action against him. (The report was deemed unconfirmed.)

What happened that led to the decision that the man should be taken to a hospital in Bolesławiec for examination? We were unable to establish that. At the end of July we officially asked both the Jelenia Góra City Guard (as suggested by the spokesperson for the local Municipal Police Headquarters) and the Emergency Medical Service in Jelenia Góra about it. Both institutions remained silent.We have still not received any response.

Update: 2021-08-18

Artur Chmielewski, spokesperson for the Jelenia Góra City Guard:

In response to the questions asked, I inform you that, unfortunately, the questions concern sensitive matters and, under the GDPR, we cannot answer them.

He added:

I also inform you that the city guard does not refer anyone for psychiatric examinations, as it does not have the authority to carry out such activities. These powers belong to the Police and the healthcare services.