A Hungarian police investigation has been launched after a father of two was left in a coma following a police operation in Százhalombatta, a town around 30 kilometres south-west of Budapest. The man’s family alleges that officers repeatedly used an electric stun device against him and assaulted him after bringing him to the ground.

The Budapest Regional Investigative Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation on 13 July on suspicion of ill-treatment committed during official proceedings. The investigation itself does not establish that any officer committed a criminal offence, and the exact circumstances of the incident remain under examination.

Family alleges disproportionate police violence

The incident took place in daylight on 8 July, when four police officers reportedly attempted to identify B. Tamás. According to the account published by Hungarian tabloid Blikk, police suspected that the man had consumed drugs.

The available police account, as reported by the newspaper, states that Tamás resisted the measure and attempted to flee. His brother, Norbert, disputes the suggestion that he had taken drugs and believes that his behaviour may instead have been connected to a psychiatric condition.

Norbert said his brother is able to live and work normally but may attempt to escape when he becomes frightened or feels threatened. He argued that even if police had lawful grounds to stop Tamás, the officers’ response was neither proportionate nor professionally conducted.

The family claims that officers used a Taser or similar electric stun device several times before forcing the man to the ground. Witnesses cited by Blikk alleged that he was then kicked and struck, suffering injuries to his nose and skull.

These allegations have not yet been proven by the investigation, and no official, detailed account of the sequence of events has been released.

Officer reportedly performed resuscitation

Tamás reportedly lost consciousness during the police operation and subsequently stopped breathing. One of the officers involved then performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

He was taken to hospital and remains in a coma with cerebral oedema, or swelling of the brain. His family said doctors had given him only a limited chance of recovery and warned that even if he regained consciousness, he could be left with permanent injuries.

Norbert described his brother as a hard-working member of a family that operates a greengrocer’s shop, a small restaurant and fruit orchards. Shortly before the incident, he had given Tamás HUF 800,000—approximately EUR 2,220 at the National Bank of Hungary’s 14 July exchange rate—to help him purchase a new delivery vehicle.

The family is particularly concerned about Tamás’s two young children, one of whom is seriously ill. Relatives and local residents in Százhalombatta, Érd and Ercsi have been hoping for his recovery.

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Hungarian police investigation handled by prosecutors

For international readers, allegations of criminal conduct by Hungarian police officers are investigated by a specialised branch of the prosecution service rather than by the officers’ own local police department.

The Budapest Regional Investigative Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that it had ordered the investigation following a complaint submitted by the family. Prosecutors said that no further details could be released because doing so could compromise the effectiveness of the criminal proceedings, 24.hu said.

According to Blikk, the service status of the officers concerned was expected to be suspended during the investigation under the relevant rules. The newspaper’s report did not identify the officers, and authorities have not publicly announced that any of them has been questioned as a suspect.

The investigation will have to determine why the police intervention began, what level of resistance officers encountered, how many times an electric stun device was used and what caused Tamás’s critical injuries.

Until those questions are answered, the family’s allegations and the reported police version must be treated as competing accounts rather than established conclusions. The case is nevertheless likely to attract close public attention because a routine police measure ended with a father of two requiring resuscitation and remaining in a life-threatening condition.

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