On April 8, 2026, in Cologne-Deutz, Pedro was experiencing a psychological crisis. He was paranoid, but remained polite, peaceful, and oriented. His friends Lucas and Leonie considered contacting a doctor the next day, but decided to call an ambulance as a precaution.
Although three paramedics and later an emergency doctor each spoke with him for about 20 to 30 minutes, they saw no reason for an involuntary psychiatric admission. Pedro wanted to be left alone, to have peace and quiet, and did not want to go to a hospital. Everyone left the apartment. Only Lucas remained standing worried in the doorway. Pedro pushed him out and slammed the door. He was now alone in his apartment.
This push was later used as the justification for an involuntary admission, after which the emergency doctor called the police.
During the 90-minute police operation, Lucas and Leonie were no longer allowed to see Pedro, despite being close friends and speaking his native language. Witnesses report that Pedro panicked during the operation and repeatedly cried out for help and for Lucas. According to witnesses, his body had already turned blue when he was carried into the street face down and wearing a spit hood. Although he was already in need of resuscitation, it still took approximately two more minutes to remove the restraints.
Midazolam administered nasally must not be used in cases of severe breathing difficulties or shallow breathing. Whether Pedro’s breathing was monitored remains unclear to this day. Pedro remains in a coma.
The “severe hypoxic brain injury following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, most likely in the context of restraint measures under the Mental Health Act” (hospital report) is omitted from statements issued by the police and the public prosecutor’s office.
On June 8 – exactly two months after the police operation – the public prosecutor’s office officially informed the family for the first time that no investigation would be opened. Before that, all inquiries from the family had been ignored. However, the public prosecutor’s office had already spoken to the press several weeks earlier.
As a result, the family first learned from the media that there would be no investigation.