– At around 2:30 p.m., while patrolling the streets of our city, officers noticed a known criminal who was pulling on the handles of vehicles parked on Orzeszkowej Street – reports Commissioner Jagoda Ekiert, press officer for the Municipal Police Headquarters in Legnica.
She adds: – Seeing the police car, the 23-year-old immediately began fleeing toward Jaworzyńska Street. The police officers split up and began pursuing the man on foot in order to apprehend him as quickly as possible; he was not responding to their commands.
The fleeing man ran directly in front of oncoming vehicles, at times bringing traffic on the city streets to a halt. The situation was highly dynamic and dangerous, as the man held a knife and a stun gun throughout the pursuit, repeatedly aiming and firing it at the police officers.
At one point, the wanted man ran into the cathedral, where people were present. The spokeswoman said: – The officers quickly assessed the situation: in case it became necessary to use their service weapons, they made the rapid decision to evacuate people from the church in order to ensure the safety of bystanders.
The man was highly agitated; shouting profanities, he threatened to kill the officers. – The police officers repeatedly ordered the man to immediately drop the knife and stun gun, but he did not respond – Commissioner J. Ekiert recounts. – After a while, the aggressor suddenly got up from the bench with the knife in his hand and moved toward one of the officers. The officers used direct coercive measures against the man, successfully subduing him.
Several grams of marijuana were found in the aggressor’s backpack. The 23-year-old was detained and placed in police custody. He faces up to 10 years in prison.