"Directed car towards police officers." Polish Prosecutor's Office commented on the case of shooting at a Belarusian in Poland
Polish police officers allegedly used firearms without justification against a 60-year-old resident of Slonim. The Investigative Committee of Belarus made such a statement , state television filmed a report about it, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published an agitated statement. But the story of the Belarusian, whose car was riddled with bullets by police for no reason, raised many questions. The Most publication sent an inquiry to the District Prosecutor's Office in Wrocław and received an answer that sheds light on the incident.
The Belarusian's car, showing bullet holes. Screenshot from "Belarus 1" video
What Belarus says
According to the data from the Investigative Committee of Belarus, on the night of May 12, a 60-year-old native of Slonim was driving on the S8 highway in Poland. Near the town of Syców (in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship), "he was subjected to an unprovoked attack by Polish law enforcement officers, using firearms."
The driver sustained severe gunshot wounds to the head and limbs, and 29 bullet holes were found in the car.
"Belarus 1" channel later reported that the man was taken to a hospital in Poland, but allegedly received treatment with gross violations, and a few days later was simply "dumped," and now the Belarusian may remain disabled.
Nevertheless, as stated in the materials of the Investigative Committee, despite the bodily injuries, the man "managed to cross the border, from where he was urgently taken to a healthcare institution in a very serious condition."
What the Wrocław Prosecutor's Office says
Most sent an inquiry to the District Prosecutor's Office in Wrocław. The District Prosecutor's Office in Oleśnica, which is handling the case, is subordinate to it. On May 22, an answer was received, signed by spokesman Damian Powonuk, describing what happened on the night of May 12 in the Syców area.
"As established so far during the investigations, the intervention was carried out by officers of the Criminal Department of the City Police Headquarters in Wałbrzych. The purpose of their actions was to apprehend individuals who had committed the theft of Citroen and Peugeot cars.
On the S8 highway towards Oleśnica, officers noticed a vehicle matching the description. While following it, police officers suspected that the observed Citroen was being accompanied by the driver of a BMW car. Both vehicles exited to a roadside service area (MOP) near the locality of Syców, and the officers decided to conduct an intervention there.
Upon entering the MOP, police officers activated sound and light signals and decided to check the documents of all drivers. The driver of the BMW car was ordered to leave the vehicle, and as he did not react, he was pulled out of the car and handcuffed. At that moment, the Citroen driver left the scene, driving over a police officer's foot. One of the patrols pursued him," the prosecutor's office describes the course of events.
At some point, another car — also a BMW — arrived at the parking lot. Its driver was likely connected to the other two. Apparently, this was the same car that the police officers shot at.
"Then, the driver of the second BMW car attempted to leave, performing dangerous maneuvers — sharply reversing and turning, and also directing the car towards a police officer, as a result of which firearms were used against him," the prosecutor's office describes.
The Prosecutor's Office is conducting two cases
In connection with the incident, the District Prosecutor's Office in Oleśnica is conducting two preparatory proceedings. One — against two drivers who failed to stop at the police officers' request and attacked them by driving their cars towards them. One also ran over a law enforcement officer's foot. The injured Belarusian is one of these two men. The third driver, who was pulled out of the car, was not named as a defendant in the case.
The preparatory investigation in the second case concerns the possible exceeding of powers by police officers.
"As part of the conducted investigation, the justification and correctness of the intervention will be examined," the prosecutor's office reported.
What condition was the Belarusian in?
The Belarusian side believes that the man was in a very serious condition, which, however, did not prevent him from traveling from western Poland to the border with Belarus.
The incident, without specifying the nationalities of the drivers, was reported by the Polish TV channel TVN. The report noted that
"the driver was injured. Officers provided him with first aid and called an ambulance, which transported the injured driver to the hospital. The injuries were not life-threatening."