Innsbruck police arrest two men after shoplifting incident

Police in Innsbruck arrested two men after a suspected shoplifter resisted arrest and an associate tried to stop officers, ORF reported. Stolen goods and a small quantity of drugs were found during a search.

A passer-by alerted a police patrol to a shoplifting incident at a store on Maria-Theresien-Straße, a street in central Innsbruck, at about 12.55 p.m. on Tuesday. The suspect initially fled north but was spotted by passers-by shortly afterwards at Marktgraben, where officers stopped him.

The 22-year-old Austrian became increasingly aggressive, resisted strongly, tried to break free from the officers’ hold and swung at them. Police eventually restrained and arrested him.

During the arrest, a 21-year-old Austrian associate tried to grab an officer by the vest and pull him away from the suspect. He was also arrested with help from another police patrol.

Both men will be reported to the Innsbruck public prosecutor’s office.