A 24-year-old man wounded by police gunfire after a car chase in Haderslev was brought before a judge in Sønderborg on Saturday, with police seeking pretrial detention.
The man was presented at a preliminary hearing at the Court in Sønderborg at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 29. DR reports that the request for detention was announced by South and South Jutland Police on the messaging service Politi Update.
The 24-year-old was driving a car on Sunday of last week when officers from Southeast Jutland Police pursued him and eventually fired at him. The background to the chase has not been made public.
According to the police account, shots were first fired on Ribe Landevej in Haderslev. Shortly afterwards, further shots were fired near the intersection of Moltrup Landevej and Norgesvej/Lænkebjerg. It was during the second episode that the man was hit.
Police stated on the Monday after the shooting that the 24-year-old had been charged with attempted murder. The detailed grounds for that charge have not been disclosed, and police have not said who the man is alleged to have tried to kill.
Released, then brought before a judge
Last week police said the initial investigation had not produced sufficient grounds to bring the man before a judge. He was released after that assessment.
Investigators have since continued to examine the sequence of events. On Saturday, police said they had concluded that there was, after all, a basis for requesting that the man be held in pretrial detention.
Per the police statement, the reassessment was based on, among other things, the interviews conducted and the technical examinations carried out. Police did not provide further detail on those findings.
The man is being sought for detention on charges of intentional endangerment, attempted aggravated assault and threats against persons in public service. The prosecution service did not find sufficient grounds to seek pretrial detention on the attempted manslaughter charge raised on the Sunday of the shooting.
Independent authority investigating
The Independent Police Complaints Authority, known in Denmark as Den Uafhængige Politiklagemyndighed, is examining the incident. The authority reviews cases in which police officers discharge their weapons.
The pursuit and the shots were carried out by officers from Southeast Jutland Police, a different district from the one that requested the man’s detention. Haderslev lies within the area covered by South and South Jutland Police.
The police district said Saturday’s hearing was expected to be held behind open doors. The material was distributed by the Danish news agency Ritzau.
