A police officer who stands accused of hitting and killing a young boy on a scooter during a chase in a Brussels park last week has been placed under house arrest, Brussels Prosecutor Julien Moinil announced Wednesday.

The officer’s detention has sparked fury from police unions, as tension simmers among law enforcement and the local community.

Fabian, an 11-year-old boy, was killed after fleeing police controls on an e-scooter. A police officer in a patrol car gave chase, following him into the Elisabeth Park in Ganshoren, northwest of the city center, and crashed into him. The police officer is in his twenties and in his first years of service.

Locals have attended vigils and marches to demand justice for Fabian, and criticized the disproportionate pursuit by the police.

The police motive for giving chase, Moinil said at a press conference Wednesday, was “nothing other than him riding the scooter. There were no drugs, no aggression.”

According to the prosecutor, an investigation provisionally indicated that the police officer in the car gave chase without switching on a blue light or siren, and that the vehicle was driven into the park, which isn’t accessible to cars, at a speed of more than 40 kilometers per hour. 

It’s not yet clear whether the police officer was authorized to enter the park in the vehicle, and whether the boy fell before being hit by the police car or whether he fell after being hit, Moinil said.

“This is an extremely serious tragedy, which has led to the death of a child,” Moinil said, adding that there are “indications of serious wrongdoing.”

The officer is suspected of “malicious obstruction of traffic,” resulting in the death of the young boy — an offense that could carry a sentence of 20 to 30 years in prison. He has been placed under house arrest and electronic surveillance.

“At this stage, no one has been convicted and everyone is presumed innocent,” Moinil also said.

The young officer’s arrest sparked indignant reactions from police unions.

There is no risk of flight or recidivism, so “why should they deprive him of his freedom? That is a step too far for us,” said Vincent Houssin, deputy president of the VSOA union.

Houssin said that the death of Fabian is “dramatic” and that “no police officer wants something like this.” But he also warned against “sacrificing” the officer.

“Police work is being curtailed, and increasingly, people [in the police force] aren’t going to dare to do anything anymore,” he added.

Moinil, the prosecutor, asked that the “tragedy doesn’t turn into a trial of the entire Brussels police force,” who, he said, conscientiously protect citizens and in difficult circumstances.

“The police must be able to arrest and pursue criminals, and the judiciary must ensure that the rules are followed and that abuse is punished,” he said.

The prosecutor has also launched an investigation into the brand of e-scooter Fabian was using, which Moinil said is Chinese, to check whether it meets national and EU legislation.

E-scooters are limited to speeds of up to 25 kilometers per hour, but police have encountered devices that can race along at 90 kilometers per hour, Moinil said.

In a raid of an e-scooter seller in Brussels on Tuesday, police sealed the shop and seized more than €63,000 in cash and a “small quantity of narcotics.”