Instead of helping a man who had passed out on a subway track in
Stockholm, a passer-by chose to rob the unconscious victim before
leaving him to be run over by a train. “This shows an unusual
ruthlessness,” said Peter Brottman of the South Stockholm police. The
victim, referred to in the Swedish media as Johnny, 38, was returning
home after a drunken night out on the town with his friends when he fell
down on the tracks at Sandsborg metro station south of Stockholm.
Shortly thereafter he was robbed of all his valuables and left on the
tracks before being run over by an oncoming train.
Despite
sustaining serious injuries, Johnny nevertheless survived the accident,
as only five metres of the train actually ran him over. “He had
amazing luck, really. The train came from the other direction and the
driver managed to see him and pull the emergency brakes,” Brottman said.
The incident, which occurred early on Sunday morning, was caught by
security cameras. Police are hoping that someone might be able to
identify the perpetrator from the security camera footage.
The
man jumped down on the tracks, got back up again, and exited the
turnstiles. “He pocketed a wallet, a mobile phone and a gold chain.
Then he jumped back up on the platform and just walked away. He
didn’t call the emergency services or notify the ticket collector at
the station“ said Peter Brottman. Johnny is still being treated in
hospital. Half of his left foot has been amputated and his right knee
has been damaged to a point where he’ll need a prosthetic in future.
However, based on the footage, police have classified the incident as
aggravated theft.
“We
are classifying it as aggravated theft rather than robbery, as the
latter implies that the perpetrator threatens or renders his victim in a
state of powerlessness and we didn’t see anything like that. The person
who was drunk had achieved that state of powerlessness himself," said
Östman. That the perpetrator didn’t try to assist the helpless man on
the tracks or call emergency services is not something he could be
charged for. “There is no law that says he has to take action,” said
Östman. Johnny’s partner Louise is still in shock from what has
happened. “I have cried, cried and cried. When I heard what had happened
I was angry, sad and full of hatred. I was shocked that anyone could
leave a person on the track to die," she said.
