It was an early Saturday morning when an alarm came about an aggressive man who made attacks on people and hit cars. When two police officers intervened, a tumult arose.
The police officer who was later prosecuted received at least two baton blows to the head from the man, who had grabbed him during the tumult.
In connection with the arrest, the police officer, who is in his 40s, allegedly took a grip on the man's neck and throat, and pressed his chest against the ground. The police officer held the grip for so long that the man suffered from oxygen deficiency and cardiac arrest, according to the prosecutor.
By pressing the man against the ground even after he stopped resisting, the police officer caused his death, according to the prosecutor, who had alternatively requested that he be convicted of misconduct.
The police officer himself has denied acting in that way, and he is now acquitted of both causing another person's death and misconduct.
According to the Solna District Court, it is not proven that the police officer held a grip around the neck as the prosecutor claims, or that he pressed the man's chest against the ground in the manner described in the indictment.
Furthermore, it cannot be established that the police officer's actions contributed to the death. There are two different forensic reports in the case that disagree on this point, but agree that the deceased man's drug influence and obesity contributed to his death.
The police's personnel disciplinary board had previously decided that the man would be allowed to keep his job regardless of the outcome in the district court.
