The man who was violently attacked by a Molenbeek police officer while he was being arrested thinks he “could have been killed” by the policeman’s onslaught, according to his account of the events which he shared in an interview.
The man, identified as 19-year-old Ilas by French-language news site SudInfo, has reportedly pressed charges after a police officer kicked him on the head repeatedly as he was being put under arrest, even though he was already pinned to the ground.
“That police officer could’ve killed me or I could’ve gotten a concussion,” Ilas said.
The violent arrest, which was caught on video, caused outrage among local authorities after it was widely circulated on social media.
Ilas, who is known to the police due to 63 felonies, was reportedly detained because police mistook him for a suspect in a burglary committed in the Quai de Péniches, north of the municipality.
Related News: Police officer regrets attacking arrested man in Molenbeek
In the interview, the 19-year-old said that on the night of events, he became frightened after police units approached him aggressively, and took flight.
“I was alone and on foot — not on my bike. A policeman approached me and said: ‘Don’t move, son of a b*tch’ I got scared and I ran,” Ilas said.
Ilas said that when police officers realised he wasn’t the suspect they were looking for, they took him to a police station.
“They returned my shoes, which they had removed and thrown in the street, and took me to the station in Rue du Marché au Charbon,” he said in the interview, adding that once there he was not examined by a doctor even though he was hurt.
The footage of the video led to the identification and arrest of the police officer, who apologised and has since been released but remains under investigation.
He is expected to see the Brussels public prosecutor on Friday, and risks up to two years in prison, according to reports.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
