Police investigate Securitas guard who sprayed man lying on ground

Police will open a criminal investigation into an incident in which a Securitas guard sprayed gas into the face of a man lying on the ground, Yle reports. The incident was reported by Yle in July.

Helsinki Police said it had received a criminal report and would begin a preliminary investigation. Yle does not know whether both guards involved or only one is under investigation. The suspected offence is also unknown; the reporter was unable to reach the lead investigator for comment.

The incident was recorded by a witness who saw a man running from guards near Metsätalo in central Helsinki in late June. The witness said one of the guards shouted at the man, “You fucking monkey, and you’re a slow piece of shit.” They told Yle they began filming because the situation did not appear safe for the man on the ground. The video shows a guard spraying gas into his face from close range.

Yle does not know why the guards were chasing the man. The witness is not named because they were not involved in the incident.

Securitas chief executive Jarmo Mikkonen previously told Yle that the company had conducted an internal review in July, examining how the incident began, how it unfolded and the grounds for the actions taken. The company has declined to disclose the review’s findings or any employment-related measures.

The conduct of security stewards drew widespread public attention in 2024, when the Itä-Uusimaa District Court sentenced four Avarn Security stewards to prison and fined four others for assaults committed while they were at work. The case is currently before the Helsinki Court of Appeal.