38-year-old man attacks woman and two police officers in Stara Bircza, Poland
On Monday, 12 October, a 38-year-old man attacked a 35-year-old woman in her flat in Stara Bircza, then attacked two police officers who came to intervene. Police detained him at the scene, and all three injured people were taken to hospital.
Attack in a flat in Stara Bircza
On Monday, 12 October, shortly after 9 a.m., police in Przemyśl received a report of a quarrel in an apartment in Stara Bircza, a village in Przemyśl county in the Podkarpackie province of south-eastern Poland. Initial findings show that a 38-year-old man, who was staying in the flat of a 35-year-old woman from the same county, started an argument and attacked her, causing injuries. Super Express reported that the quarrel escalated and that the man reached for a knife, while TVP Info, citing the regional outlet Życie Podkarpackie, said the attacker most likely used a sharp object. Police have not confirmed the weapon in their statements. The flat is in one of three multi-family buildings on the DK28 main road, directly next to the headquarters of a forest district office.
Two officers hurt during the intervention
Once a patrol was dispatched to the flat, the man also attacked the officers, Super Express reported. Police spokesperson Karolina Kowalik of the Przemyśl city police headquarters described the sequence in an interview with Radio ESKA:
Preliminary findings show that the 38-year-old man, staying in the flat with the 35-year-old woman, started an argument and attacked her. During the intervention the man was aggressive and also attacked the officers who intervened.
The man was subdued and detained at the scene. The woman and two intervening officers were taken to hospital for examinations, and one officer was transported by a Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe (LPR) helicopter, according to Nowiny. Officers remained at the scene to establish the exact course and circumstances of the incident.
Condition of the injured
Reports said the injuries do not threaten the lives of the people hurt. Super Express and Nowiny both said the injuries are not life-threatening. Nowiny reported that the woman runs a hairdressing salon in Bircza and that neighbours spoke about her in positive terms. A resident quoted by Nowiny said the woman and the man were not related, that he lives with his parents in Stara Bircza and has a criminal past, and speculated that the incident might stem from unhappy love. That speculation and the claim about his past come from a single resident and are not confirmed in any police statement.
What happens next
Police are still establishing the sequence of events and carrying out procedural actions, according to Nowiny. The suspect has been detained, but the reports do not describe any charges so far. The woman's hospital stay and the officers' treatment are the only outcomes reported up to this point.
