Builder Dies Headbutting Police Cell Wall As Cop Watches

Story ByJohn FengSub EditorJoseph GolderAgencyAsia Wire Report

Video Credit: AsiaWire

This is the moment a drunk builder headbutts a police station cell wall as a cop watches on before he died sparking a probe for gross negligence against the authorities.

Zhang Guanli, 48, was arrested for a public order offence after he allegedly cut the power on the construction site where he worked during a dispute over his unpaid wages.

Authorities with the Xihuan Police Station in Wuyuan, a county in North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, claimed officers were not present at the time of the incident, despite viral security footage – viewed 14 million times online – showing otherwise.

Pictures Credit: AsiaWire

The CCTV images dated 30th May show the detainee having a row with one of the officers standing outside his detention cell, with the police saying he had requested a cigarette.

After his request is turned down, Zhang suddenly runs towards the prison cell wall and headbutts it, reeling backwards before going for a second attempt.

The duty officer watching Zhang opens the cell door but does not stop the worker as he sprints towards the concrete wall a second time, headbutting it and leaving himself unconscious on the floor.

He was taken to hospital and was declared dead shortly after, according to a statement by the Wuyuan Public Security Bureau, which said it was investigating the case.

Zhang’s wife, Ms Jin, has taken to the streets in protest, bringing along her only child.

She and her family are demanding compensation from the police for failing to properly care for her drunk husband.

She said: “But the police want my husband to bear the majority of the blame for his own death. They say he is more responsible for the outcome than they are.”

Police officials are said to be offering 300,000 RMB (34,410 GBP) in damages for its offers’ negligence, but negotiations between the two parties are still ongoing.

A spokesman said: “He was owed between 2,000 and 3,000 RMB (230 to 345 GBP). He was drunk when he demanded his wages. 

“Had he been sober, our officers would not have been involved. He lost control of himself. Our officers weren’t around and he moved too quickly.”

According to Zhang’s family, the workman was owed money from the beginning of last year.

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