Crime - Two men escape from Berlin's penal institution
Two mentally ill offenders who are considered dangerous escaped from a psychiatric hospital in Berlin-Reinickendorf on Christmas Eve.
Two nurses were injured in the early morning escape. One of them was taken to hospital with stab wounds, the other was treated as an outpatient, according to the police and health authorities. A search is now underway for the escapees.
The psychiatric hospital is a secure hospital in the Wittenau district where mentally ill or addicted offenders are housed. According to the information available so far, a 34-year-old inmate is said to have called a 45-year-old nurse to him at around 3.30 a.m. under a pretext and then knocked her down with a frying pan.
Attack with a knife
A 53-year-old colleague of the woman rushed to help and was then allegedly attacked by the man with a knife. According to dpa information, she suffered injuries to her neck. The suspected attacker and another inmate then fled from the prison grounds.
The two escapees are reportedly considered dangerous due to their mental illnesses. At least one of the two could be armed with a knife. The police and the health authorities responsible for the prison did not provide any further details, citing tactical investigation reasons.
It was only last Wednesday night that unknown persons had tried to free a member of a known clan of Arab origin from a different Berlin psychiatric hospital in the Buch district. However, according to the health authorities, the attempt failed because guards noticed the break-in and intervened. The strangers fled.
Further cases
There are currently other cases of escaped criminals: On December 14, an inmate at Mannheim Prison used a visit to the doctor at the clinic in the neighboring city of Ludwigshafen to escape. On October 30, a prisoner from Bruchsal Prison escaped during a guarded excursion to a quarry pond in Germersheim and used a tool to break his ankle cuff. He is also still on the run.
A convicted offender who did not return to his ward on December 11 in Viersen, North Rhine-Westphalia, after an unaccompanied exit within the grounds of a psychiatric clinic, turned himself in to a police station in Rhineland-Palatinate a few days later.
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The escapees are suspected to have fled to Germany's criminal underworld, evading capture by the police. This incident has raised concerns about the security measures in mental hospitals and correctional facilities. The German government is under pressure to address issues of criminality and mental health within these institutions. The men's actions on saint's eve serve as a stark reminder of the need for improved health and security policies in Germany. A high-profile chase ensued, with Berlin's police force leading the search in various parts of the city. Despite the intense manhunt, the two individuals remain at large, posing a threat to public safety.
Source: www.stern.de
