Police officer investigated after forcing Tuusula moped into ditch

A police officer is being investigated after forcing a 15-year-old moped rider into a ditch during a moped gathering in Tuusula, Yle reports. The rider was injured, and both the teenager and the officer are suspected of crimes.

Yle has compiled the key facts known so far and the questions that remain unanswered.

What happened?

Police were monitoring traffic when they arrived at a moped gathering on Palkkitie in Tuusula on Saturday evening. At 6.56pm, an officer noticed a young person riding a moped without a registration plate.

Why did police try to stop the moped?

The missing registration plate attracted the officer’s attention, rather than the rider’s manner of driving. Police say the rider tried to escape, prompting a pursuit.

How did the stop happen?

The 15-year-old recorded the incident with a helmet camera. The pursuit lasted less than 30 seconds, while the move that forced the moped into the ditch took less than half a second.

Yle’s analysis found that the police officer forced the rider into the ditch at a speed of about 90 kilometres per hour. The officer was alone in the police car.

What crimes is the moped rider suspected of?

The teenager is currently suspected of aggravated endangerment of traffic safety, driving a vehicle without the right to do so and a vehicle offence. Helsinki Police say he will be questioned in the coming weeks.

Was the rider injured?

The rider suffered a fracture to the top of his foot and five broken bones in his hand, according to Helsingin Sanomat. He has also described the broken bones on his TikTok account.

The teenager is due to undergo surgery this week. His injuries are not life-threatening.

Did an ambulance arrive?

No. Police corrected an earlier statement on Tuesday and said that no ambulance was called to the scene. Instead, the teenager was taken elsewhere, where emergency medical personnel examined him.

Video obtained by Yle shows police asking the teenager for identification immediately after the collision. Young people who attended the moped gathering have shared videos of the arrest on social media. The footage indicates that the injured teenager was handcuffed and moved into a police car.

Is the police officer suspected of a crime?

The officer who forced the moped into the ditch is suspected of breaching official duties, aggravated endangerment of traffic safety and causing injury. The suspected offences may change as the investigation progresses.

The officer, who worked in traffic policing, has been transferred to other duties for the duration of the investigation.

Are police allowed to force a vehicle off the road?

Forcing a vehicle off the road is one of the methods police can use to apply force. Henri Rikander, a doctor of law, said the use of force must be proportionate to the suspected offence.

Such action must be based on a lawful official duty, and the use of force must be necessary and defensible. Criminal law experts have described the move as excessive.

Had the moped been modified?

Police say the moped had been modified to travel fast enough to be classified under the law as a light motorcycle. Mopeds may travel at a maximum speed of 45 kilometres per hour, but information verified by Yle indicates that this moped accelerated to more than 90 kilometres per hour.

What remains unclear?

Investigators are examining whether there were sufficient grounds for using force and why the moped rider fled from police. A prosecutor will assess the basis for the officer’s use of force and whether the officer may have lost control of the police car.

It is not yet known whether the officer acted independently or under the direction of field command. The failure to use a red stop light has also raised questions. The Finnish Police Board says that a red stop light is normally switched on during a pursuit.

It also remains unclear why emergency medical services were not called to the scene by police, and why the medical examination was carried out elsewhere. There is no detailed information about what the emergency medical examination involved.