Madrid police officer who suffocated a North African man to death after he tried to steal his mobile phone released by court

A judge in a Torrejón de Ardoz court has agreed to provisionally release the Madrid police officer, who was arrested after suffocating a 35-year-old man to death while trying to steal his mobile phone.

The officer is currently under investigation for involuntary manslaughter. The magistrate has set precautionary measures during his release, including the withdrawal of his passport and his obligation to report to the courthouse every Monday.

Both the indictment and the precautionary measures adopted are of an initial nature and could be modified as the judicial investigation develops. At this moment, the results of the autopsy are pending, which will determine the exact cause of death.

The incident happened around 11.15pm on Tuesday, 17 June, when two plainclothes police officers were walking in the old town area. They were surprised by two men of North African origin, who tried to steal their mobile phones.

The officers ran after one of the assailants. When the arrested caught up with one of the thieves, he immobilised him on the ground by using the 'mataleón' technique and waited for the National Police patrol to arrive. However, when the police went to put handcuffs on the North African man, they noticed that he was in a semi-conscious state.

Local Police officers were also mobilised to the scene. With a defibrillator and, later, with the assistance of the emergency health service, they tried to resuscitate the man, without succeeding.