Police point apparent gun at man opening unmarked car in Tampere

Police pointed what appeared to be a handgun at a man who opened the door of an unmarked police van in Tampere on Wednesday evening, Yle reports.

The man was returning home from work shortly after 9pm when he noticed a running vehicle parked by the roadside in Villilä, Tampere. He said nobody was visible inside.

He began filming the vehicle with his phone and approached it. The man told Yle that he opened the door to check whether something was happening inside. He said the vehicle somewhat resembled a police car.

When he opened the door, a person appeared from behind the front seats and pointed a black object at him that looked like a handgun.

The vehicle was a van with no external police markings, and the man said the person inside was wearing civilian clothes. He described the encounter as shocking.

The incident ended quickly. The man closed the door and walked home without anyone leaving the vehicle to speak to him.

He posted a video of the incident on Instagram and Facebook Stories on Wednesday evening. Yle saw the video on social media and contacted him.

The man has not yet contacted the police but plans to file a criminal report. He said he wants answers about the way he was received.

The Police Department of Inner Finland said it was aware of the incident and had seen the video circulating online. The department said it would provide information no earlier than Monday, after first establishing what happened in full.