Driver shot in arm while fleeing arrest files complaint against police

Police shot Luciano D. as he sped away from officers in Osdorp.

A teenager who was shot by police as he fled an attempt to arrest him has filed an official complaint against the force for excessive violence.

Luciano D, 18, was hit in the arm as he drove away from a police pursuit in Amsterdam’s Osdorp district two weeks ago. He was on the run from a secure psychiatric unit after escaping during a supervised visit to a funeral at the end of last year.

Police ordered the car to stop because they suspected that one of the four occupants was carrying a weapon. After they fired warning shots the three other occupants got out and fled on foot while D sped away.

Video footage from the scene shows how two of the fugitives got away as four officers returned to their car to pursue D, who also evaded arrest. He was found a week later hiding in Amsterdam’s West district.

‘No warning’

His lawyer Chrissy Stroobach told AT5 that police had used disproportionate force by firing directly at D.

‘The officer could have shot at the tyres or fired a warning shot, and in any case he should have said he was planning to shoot before he did it. None of these things happened.’

The shooting is being investigated by the Rijksrecherche, the police agency which examines complaints and incidents involving the police, as a matter of course.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation