Prisoner freed on the way to the doctor - he belongs to an Essen clan

Two armed men attacked two correctional officers who were accompanying an inmate to a doctor's appointment. They overpowered and tied her up and ran off with a 34-year-old prisoner. According to the police, the judicial officers were uninjured.

The 34-year-old and his helpers fled in different directions. The prisoner fled on an e-scooter, investigators announced. Employees at a doctor's office immediately alerted the police after the attack. After the crime in downtown Essen on Wednesday afternoon, they initiated extensive searches with a large number of emergency services in the city area. She also published a photo of the escaped prisoner on Wednesday evening and asked for information about his possible whereabouts.

According to the NRW Ministry of Justice, the 34-year-old was in custody for drug offenses and grievous bodily harm. He should be taken from the Essen correctional facility to the doctor. The authorities assign him to the area of ​​clan crime. They refer to clan crime as crimes that develop from ethnically isolated subcultures. The perpetrators in North Rhine-Westphalia usually come from large families of Turkish-Arab origin.

Investigators are warning the public to be careful. "If you notice a suspicious person, do not speak to them! Call 110 immediately. At the moment, it cannot be ruled out that the perpetrators were armed," the police wrote on the online platform X.

The crime scene is located on Kennedyplatz, one of the largest squares in downtown Essen. It is surrounded by numerous restaurants and cafés, and markets and large events take place there regularly. There are also numerous medical practices located around the square.