Police forced Tuusula moped rider off road; both face criminal suspicions

A police officer forced a 15-year-old moped rider into a ditch and a fence in Tuusula on Saturday evening, leaving him with several broken bones, Yle reports. Both the rider and the police officer involved are currently suspected of crimes.

The incident took place on Palkkitie during a moped meet attended by dozens of young people. Police said a patrol carrying out traffic enforcement shortly before 7pm spotted a two-wheeled vehicle without a registration plate.

According to police, the rider tried to escape. The officer accelerated ahead of the moped and forced it off the road. The rider collided with a roadside fence, which broke in the crash.

The police detained the rider after he left the road and handcuffed him. Prosecutors say the officer was alone in the police car at the time.

Police described the minor’s injuries as slight, but the rider has said he broke a bone in his foot and five bones in his hand. The incident was recorded on several videos. An analysis by Yle’s verification team estimated that the rider was travelling at about 90 kilometres per hour.

Both parties suspected of crimes

Helsinki Police are investigating the moped rider. He is preliminarily suspected of aggravated endangerment of traffic safety, driving a vehicle without the right to do so and a vehicle offence.

Juha Åkerman, the head of the Helsinki Police investigation and a detective chief inspector, told MTV News that the vehicle offence suspicion concerns structural modifications to the moped that meant it was classified as a motorcycle.

A prosecutor is investigating the police officer’s actions. The suspected offences are breach of official duty, aggravated endangerment of traffic safety and causing injury.

The investigation into the police officer is being led by a prosecutor because a police officer is suspected of a crime. It is still at an early stage, and the suspected offences may change as the investigation progresses.

The officer involved in the incident has been transferred to other duties for the duration of the investigation.

Questions remain unanswered

One question concerns why the police did not use a red light during the stop. Videos of the incident do not show the police using one. A red light is a signal to stop in traffic.

Prosecutor Heli Haapalehto, who is leading the investigation, is examining whether the police had grounds for a forced stop or whether the officer lost control of the car, causing the collision.

She is also investigating what the officer’s assignment was at the scene and what led to the moped being forced off the road.

The reason the rider fled is also unclear. Video shows him accelerating after noticing the police, and the pursuit lasted less than half a minute.