A drama like something out of a crime novel took place in the middle of Berlin on Friday night: A man enters a café on Sonnenallee, shouts: “Now you're dying!” and pulls out a gun. But what happened next was like a miracle.
Adrenaline shock in Sonnenallee
It was shortly after 1:30 a.m. when the calm in a Neukölln café was shattered by an eerie incident. An obviously aggressive man stormed in, threatened those present and pulled out a pistol. Seconds passed like hours as he seemingly tried to load the gun – but nothing happened. No shot was fired. He swore, put the gun away and disappeared as suddenly as he came.
The café guests were left in shock. Some called the police, others watched the man disappear into the darkness of the Berlin night.
Major operation in Neukölln
Minutes later the sirens wailed. Several Berlin police emergency vehicles raced to Sonnenallee. Witnesses gave a precise description of the perpetrator and the direction in which he fled. Thanks to the officers' quick response, the search focused on Mareschstrasse. A large contingent cordoned off the area while special forces were equipped with submachine guns.
In this café on Sonnenallee, everyone was shocked.Morris Pudwell
The officers finally discovered a suspect at the corner of Mareschstrasse and Brusendorfer Strasse. The man had hidden behind a pickup truck, apparently hoping to remain undetected. The police caught him, overpowered him without further resistance and handcuffed him.
Gun from the Sonnenallee crime thriller discovered in the trash
But one question remained: Where was the weapon? The man was not carrying a gun when he was arrested. However, an alert police officer soon discovered a firearm in a trash can just a few meters away from the arrest site.
An initial check confirmed: It was a sharp weapon, but it suffered from loading jams. It was precisely this technical glitch that prevented the worst from happening. The police seized the pistol and stored it in a specially secured gun locker in an emergency vehicle.
Perpetrator in Sonnenallee with 2.3 per mille
The alleged perpetrator was subjected to an alcohol test on site – the result: 2.3 per mille. How much he actually understood about his own actions remains questionable.
What would have happened if the pistol had been operational? What if the man had been less drunk and more determined? Only one thing is certain: for the people in the café it was an early Christmas miracle. ■
