Madrid Police Officer Suspended After Fatal Chokehold: Alcohol Suspected in 15-Minute Neck Restraint Death

Several witnesses told Gran Madrid that the 59-year-old municipal police officer and another 60-year-old retired officer seemed "under the influence of alcohol" at the time of the incident. The alcohol tests confirmed this suspicion, according to sources close to the investigation. Witnesses report that the municipal police officer subjected the victim to a chokehold that lasted "between 10 and 15 minutes". "We started shouting, telling the police officer: Leave him alone, you’re going to kill him," they recount.

But the police officer maintained Abderrahim in this position, which resulted in his death by suffocation. The municipal officer is the subject of an investigation for involuntary manslaughter by negligence. On Thursday, the Deputy Mayor and Delegate for Security and Emergencies, Inmaculada Sanz, announced at a press conference that the city council has opened "disciplinary proceedings against the agent" who will be suspended from his duties "until the judicial resolution" of this case.

However, "the agent will continue to receive his basic salary without allowances," she specified. "We are awaiting the results of this investigation, both from the police and the justice system. On an administrative level, the municipal police have done what they had to do, that is to say, open the administrative file," added the Deputy Mayor.

A few hours after this press conference by Sanz, the investigating court of Torrejón de Ardoz decided to release the agent under conditions. The accused will have to surrender his passport and report to the court every week. For its part, the victim’s family is considering joining the case as a civil party. "The Moroccan consulate is helping us find a lawyer," they said.