Doner kebab shop opening in Dortmund escalates – police officers pelted with bottles
At the opening of a doner kebab shop in Dortmund, the situation got out of control. Around 300 people, many of them minors, threw objects at police officers.
Doner kebab opening escalates in Dortmund
Around 300 people, including many minors, gathered on Sunday afternoon at a doner kebab shop opening in Dortmund city centre east to take advantage of advertised bargain prices. According to WELT, the situation in front of the shop quickly spiralled out of control. The shop owner had advertised the opening offer online in advance, according to police.
Despite a security service deployed on site, there were expressions of discontent and disputes between waiting persons. The shop owner subsequently called the police.
When officers arrived, they were pelted with bottles, stones, pyrotechnics, an e-scooter and a chair. A police car was damaged by stones. The officers called on the crowd via loudspeaker to leave the area. When they resisted, violence erupted against the officers.
A helicopter monitored the situation from the air. Reinforcements in the form of a police response unit were deployed.
During a search of a person who had resisted the order to leave, a blank-firing gun was found. Police initiated several criminal proceedings for breach of the peace, property damage and insult. They are currently investigating what responsibility the kebab shop operator bears for the police operation.
Dortmund's police chief Tim Frommeyer condemned the violence. "Whoever uses violence, here once again against police officers, is not an 'experience-seeking youth' or 'troublemaker', but a criminal," he stated.
The kebab shop operator issued a statement: "There were over 1,000 people on site and some of them unfortunately could not behave at all." He apologised to those who had waited a long time. In social media comments, the operator was accused of bearing co-responsibility.
Source: WELT