Cyclist killed after being hit by drunk off-duty cop

A 64-year-old German tourist died on Sunday while cycling in the Balearic Island of Mallorca after she was hit by a car being driven by an off-duty policeman who had been drinking. The woman was knocked off of her bike and into a tree.

The driver was an officer from the National Police Force (CNP), and was at the wheel of an unmarked official car while under the effects of alcohol. The duty judge in charge of the investigation took statements from the officer on Monday, and charged him with homicide due to negligence, dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident. The policeman was placed in custody without bail.

Also in the car with the officer was the head of the Drugs and Organized Crime Unit. The police chief was also off duty, and was also found to be under the effects of alcohol.

The accident took place at 10.30am in the municipality of Llucmajor. After hitting the cyclist from behind, the officers stopped for a brief moment before driving off at speed. The pair were later detained by the Civil Guard, who had taken statements from witnesses of the accident. According to sources close to the investigation, after the accident the officers switched seats, with the unit chief taking the wheel.

The judge released the chief, but he will be charged with leaving the scene of an accident and dangerous driving.

As a precautionary measure, the Interior Ministry has suspended both of the officers. Police union SUP has called for forcefulness against “the authors of such wretched behavior,” as well as “against their immediate superiors,” given the severity of the facts.

“Weight of the law”

In a public statement, the SUP called for “the full weight of the law to be brought down [on the officers],” asking: “What were two members of the CNP, one of executive rank and the other basic, doing on a Sunday morning, off duty, in an official car, and drunk?”

The victim was enjoying the last day of her vacation in Mallorca, and was traveling with an experienced group of cyclists.

Among the vacationers was the woman’s 70-year-old husband, who was the protagonist of a dramatic scene after the accident at the side of his wife’s body.