Polish police commander dismissed after petrol station brawl in Wałbrzych

Altercation at the fuel pump

On the night of 31 August 2026, an altercation broke out at an Auchan petrol station in Wałbrzych in south-western Poland. Drivers had queued before midnight to buy fuel on the final day of the government CPN tax relief program, which had temporarily lowered Value Added Tax and capped pump prices for petrol and diesel. A video recording posted on social media showed two men shoving and striking each other while a woman attempted to pull them apart. Moments later, a third man approached holding a telescopic baton and struck one of the drivers across the legs.

The dispute began when a motorist identified as Maciej and his wife bypassed the main vehicle queue to access an open pump. According to Maciej, a woman who later proved to be an off-duty cybersecurity police officer insulted his wife and made offensive gestures. When a second officer confronted the couple and reached into their vehicle, a physical struggle started between Maciej and the officer. An off-duty police officer stationed in Głuszyca then intervened with a baton after shouting police to identify himself.

Police commander dismissed and suspended

Internal control investigators identified the men involved as serving law enforcement personnel. One of the participants in the brawl was podinsp. Krzysztof Lewandowski, who served as the acting municipal police commander in Jelenia Góra and had previously headed the municipal police department in Wałbrzych. The woman involved was assigned to a central cybersecurity bureau subordinate to Warsaw headquarters.

Following an internal inquiry by the control department, Lower Silesian police authorities took formal personnel action against Lewandowski on 2 September 2026. The Provincial Police Commander in Wrocław, nadinsp. Paweł Półtorzycki, ordered Lewandowski removed from his post and placed on official suspension pending full review. KWP Wrocław press officer asp. szt. Łukasz Dutkowiak confirmed the measure in an official statement.

By decision of the Provincial Police Commander in Wrocław, he was today dismissed from his current position, transferred to the disposition of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław, and suspended from official duties.

Formal investigations and complaints

Internal control units continue to investigate the full sequence of events, including the actions of the off-duty officer from the Wałbrzych county station in Głuszyca who struck Maciej with a telescopic baton. Police spokesperson nadkom. Marcin Świeży stated that the Głuszyca officer had completed certified training for service baton use and intervened to de-escalate the physical fight after seeing the struggle. Lower Silesian police confirmed the scope of the internal review in their public announcement.

The activities carried out aimed, among other things, at a detailed reconstruction of the incident, determining whether legal regulations were violated, and evaluating the situation under criminal law.

The case has also moved into formal legal channels beyond internal discipline. Both the involved motorists and the officers submitted cross-notifications alleging assault, violations of bodily integrity, and verbal insults. The District Prosecutor's Office in Wałbrzych opened an inquiry on 2 September 2026 to assess criminal liability for all three officers and the civilian participants.