Czech Police arrest man for firing gas pistol while shouting about "Gypsies"

News servers Aktu.cz and Blesk.cz report that at around 20:00 on 24 August there was a shooting incident at a residential hotel in the Radotín quarter of Prague. Eyewitnesses say a drunken man shouted "Gypsies, I'll shoot you all here!" before firing a gas pistol at people inside the building - without, however, actually physically harming them.
After the incident the shooter fled the building and hid outdoors, but police apprehended him after after several minutes. A helicopter was called to aid the search.
"I was lying down and suddenly heard shots and ascertained that some guy was firing a weapon there. I went outside, followed him, and for a moment I provoked a conflict with him and delayed him so the police officers could then apprehend him. When they arrived, I showed them where he was and they ran over there," one eyewitness described the situation on camera to news server Aktu.cz.
Police immediately began their search for the assailant after arriving on the scene. They soon found the shooter in a drainage pipe near an adjacent railway line.
Because the man resisted arrest the officers had to use force to detain him. The aggressor still had his weapon on him.
Detectives have ascertained that the weapon fired was a gas pistol. The attacker, according to the police, was given a breath test to measure his blood alcohol level.
"Since this locality is spread out over a large area, the commanding officer sent reinforcements from the emergency motorized units and riot units and the area was even monitored by helicopter during the manhunt. Thanks to these measures we succeeded in finding the 43-year-old suspect and arrested him after a relatively brief time. He was hiding from police in a drain near the rail line," the police report about the incident says.
Eyewitnesses say during the spree the shooter took aim at all the people he encountered, threatening to shoot a mother and her children as well. Police spokesperson Tomáš Hulan chose a somewhat unusual way to describe the incident, saying: "In this respect it is necessary mention that even if the 43-year-old had a reason for acting like this, he is not entitled to resolve any situation this way."
The man is suspected of felony rioting and reckless endangerment. If convicted he faces up to two years in prison.
Don't miss:
- Czech court releases murder suspect from custody now that all witnesses to shooting of Romani man have been questioned
- Czech Police reconstruct murder of Romani man, shooter faces 20 years in prison if convicted
- Analysis: Czech Police say situation after Chomutov shooting not tense, locals say otherwise
- Commentary on shooting of Romani man in Chomutov: How many more murder victims before the state learns how to respond?
Related articles:
- Czech municipal department mayors claim they object to housing Romani refugees from Ukraine in their parts of Prague
- ROMEA TV produces reportage for Deutsche Welle about Romani refugees from Ukraine in the Czech Republic
- Czech Interior Minister: Romani refugees from Ukraine are not a threat, they are the worst-afflicted by this crisis, we can atone for the hardship we have caused them
- Czech Police and Romani nonprofits have begun informing homeless Romani refugees from Ukraine at Prague's main train station of their options
- US President Biden condemns white supremacist terrorist attack in Buffalo, New York that murdered 10 people
- Czech capital to see demonstration in support of Romani refugees from Ukraine calling for dignified conditions
- Tent city in Czech capital has not solved the situation of the Romani refugees from Ukraine, hundreds at main station, few with Hungarian passports
- Czech Health Minister: Room for Romani refugees from Ukraine has to be found outside of Prague
- Czech university distances itself from e-mail alleging increased security needed for dorm because of refugees from Ukraine
- Czech Caritas branch objects to Romani political party's critique of aid to Romani refugees from Ukraine, party stands by its allegations
- Jarmila Balážová: Condemnation of refugee Romani children and their mothers from Ukraine is unfair when their brothers, fathers and sons are fighting back at home!
- Prague Mayor tells Czech Govt that if refugees are not redistributed elsewhere in the country by Tuesday, he will close the assistance center
Tags:
Policie, Praha, Racism, shootingsHEADLINE NEWS
