Police investigate whether man who opened patrol car door committed crime

Police have launched a preliminary investigation into whether a man who opened the door of an unmarked police vehicle in Tampere committed an offence, Yle reports. The man is the same person an officer pointed a pistol at during the incident.

Police are currently investigating the case as an attempted unauthorised use of a motor vehicle. The offence may apply when someone attempts to take another person’s motor vehicle into use without permission.

Joni Länsipuro, the detective chief superintendent leading the investigation at the Central Finland Police Department, said a report was filed by an unrelated person.

“The police would not have filed a criminal report against the person who entered the car themselves,” Länsipuro said.

What happened in Villilä

Last week, a man from Tampere opened the door of a van that was running at the side of the road in Villilä, a residential area dominated by detached houses.

The man told Yle that he approached the vehicle and opened the door because he could not see anyone inside. When he opened the driver’s-side door, a figure emerged from behind the front seats, pointed a pistol at him and ordered him to leave in an inappropriate tone.

The man left the scene laughing.

It later emerged that the person who pointed the gun was a police officer carrying out a traffic-monitoring assignment alone.

The officer is suspected of breaching official duties and making an unlawful threat. The case is being investigated by State Prosecutor Tapio Mäkinen. The officer has been transferred to other duties.