Police officers pinned a man to the ground for several minutes—he died

A 43-year-old man died during a police operation in the northern Italian city of Bologna. According to eyewitness accounts, the man died after two police officers sat on him for an extended period while he was lying on the ground. The daily newspaper *La Repubblica* published a video showing the man repeatedly calling for help while the two officers did not let go of him. Later, he showed no further signs of life.

According to initial reports, police were called to the Pilastro neighborhood late in the morning by neighbors after the man, who is of Moroccan descent, allegedly had a fit of rage. He then reportedly struck the patrol car, as reported by the Italian news agency ANSA. The officers then reportedly used pepper spray on him and handcuffed him.

Scene on video: “Help! Enough, enough!”

In the video, the man on the ground can be heard shouting, “Aiuto. Basta, basta!” (“Help! Enough, enough!”) Nevertheless, the uniformed police officers do not let go of him. A third man, dressed in civilian clothes, is holding him by the ankles. Two paramedics are also visible, but they do not intervene. After several minutes, the man stops moving. The video was recorded from a window, apparently by a neighbor.

According to information from the Ansa news agency, the man, who was originally from Morocco, had been living in Italy since he was seven years old, where he shared an apartment with his brother. Following the man’s death, tensions ran high in the neighborhood in the northeastern part of the university town. An autopsy is now scheduled to determine the cause of death.