Police officer who pointed gun at man in Tampere reassigned

A police officer who pointed a gun at a man in Tampere will be transferred to other duties, Yle reported. The officer is suspected of breaching official duties and making an unlawful threat.

Antero Rytkölä, deputy chief of the Central Finland Police Department, confirmed the reassignment to Yle. He said the officer’s new duties have not yet been decided.

State Prosecutor Tapio Mäkinen is investigating the case.

The incident happened shortly after 9pm on Wednesday, August 12. A Tampere man was walking home from work when he noticed a running car at the side of a road in Villilä, Tampere. He had previously told Yle that the vehicle caught his attention because it was parked in an unusual, visible location.

When the man opened the car door, a figure appeared from behind the front seats and pointed a black object at him that appeared to be a handgun.

The vehicle was a van without external police markings, and the man said the person inside was wearing civilian clothes. The encounter ended quickly. The man closed the door and continued walking home, and nobody came out of the vehicle to speak to him.

Police were informed of the incident and the existence of video footage on Saturday, August 15. Yle has not published the man’s name because doing so could cause him harm.