Several young people attacked a police vehicle in the municipality of Saint-Gilles on Sunday, Belgian media report.
The incident took place during a regular police check at around 17:30. Video footage shows two police officers hurriedly closing the doors to their patrol car as several young men run towards it. The youths then begin to hit, kick and throw objects at the car, and make repeated attempts to break its windows. The car then drives away.
"A serious incident occurred in Saint-Gilles on Sunday evening," Chief of the Brussels-Midi Police Zone Jurgen De Landsheer told VRT. "One of our teams was attacked by a group of young people. That happened after we arrested two drug dealers... During those arrests, one colleague was injured."
He added that "investigations are ongoing" into the incident and that police officials are currently cooperating with the local prosecutor's office in order "to be able to give the right sentences to the right people".
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De Landsheer also noted that this is just one of many "disturbing" acts of violence carried out against the police in Saint-Gilles in recent months. He suggested that this was partly due to ongoing "tensions in the neighbourhood" between rival drug gangs.
"In recent weeks there has been a lot of violence against the police in Saint-Gilles, including an attempted arson at the station on 7 July," he said. However, he noted that the violence may in fact be "good news" insofar as it indicates that the police's "approach is disruptive to the gangs that make life difficult in the district".
