Tyrol investigates Cobra officers after father injured in mistaken arrest

Tyrol authorities are investigating Cobra officers after they mistakenly arrested and injured the father of a suspect during an operation in Völs, ORF reports. The 36-year-old suspect was later cleared of the allegations against him.

The operation took place in August after a dispute between the suspect and his wife. The officers initially subdued his 54-year-old father. According to the Tiroler Tageszeitung, the father suffered broken ribs, bruises and a meniscus injury and had to postpone heart surgery.

The prosecutor’s office confirmed that the investigation into the 36-year-old for making dangerous threats and coercion had been discontinued. The officers are now under investigation on suspicion of causing bodily injury while abusing their official position. The prosecutor’s office said Wednesday that it could not provide details because the final report had not yet been submitted.

The dispute began when the man’s wife left their home with their three children. He followed her to a railway station, took their seven-year-old son and drove away. Police said the boy went with his father voluntarily and that his mother allowed it. The man then drove with the child to the DEZ shopping centre in Innsbruck.

The woman went to a women’s shelter and filed a complaint, prompting the police operation. The special police unit contacted the man by phone, and he later surrendered without resistance after officers had initially mistaken his father for him.

Officers had believed the 36-year-old might be armed and holding his son hostage. They also suspected he had threatened to shoot his in-laws. He was released shortly after his arrest. The man, a sport shooter, had no weapon with him; his legally owned firearms were properly stored at home. The allegations of taking the child and threatening to kill his in-laws were not substantiated.