The Rotterdam man at the centre of alleged police brutality was carrying more than a user’s quantity of drugs, news outlet De Telegraaf has reported, after protests and much of the first coverage treated his death as a Dutch George Floyd.
Alfredo Goeloe, 51, died on Saturday evening, September 12, during an arrest at the Vaarnerkamp in Rotterdam-Zuid.
Officers stopped him while checking fatbikes after a theft report.
He had no identity papers.
Prosecutors say he ran when an officer tried to search him, was caught, resisted and then collapsed. He died at the scene.
Police said they tried to resuscitate him.
A 45-second bystander video, verified by daily NRC, shows him being forced to the ground, struggling and shouting that he had diabetes. The clip ends before he becomes unwell.
The Rijksrecherche is investigating. No official cause of death has been published.
Police later confirmed that his fatbike was not the stolen machine they were looking for.
Relatives and Controle Alt Delete, which is assisting the family and campaigns against ethnic profiling, said he had left a babyshower for his unborn child to fetch diabetes medication. His partner is seven months pregnant.
Lawyer Gerald Roethof said the family will file a complaint, citing possible manslaughter or death by reckless negligence. A crowdfunding page has raised about €10,000.
Initial coverage focused on the fact that the bike was not stolen, on the video of the restraint and on Goeloe’s diabetes.
A silent march on Monday evening later turned violent outside Zuidplein police station. Fireworks were thrown at officers and riot police were deployed.
Some commentary compared the case to the death of George Floyd.
De Telegraaf, citing multiple sources, now says he had more than a user’s quantity of drugs on him, making the comparison even more poignant.
It might be the explanation for why he ran from the police, as individuals are obliged by law to listen to the police when they are seen as possible suspects.
The police are authorised to restrain a person in order to arrest them and establish their identity. People who run away are then committing a criminal offence
The public prosecutor has not confirmed these findings in a public statement.
Possession of drugs does not by itself explain how he died. It does change the picture presented in the first reports.
Why he fled a search, what was found on him, and whether drugs, illness, the struggle or the restraint caused his death remain questions for the autopsy and the Rijksrecherche.
Op onderstaande beelden is te zien hoe Alfredo Goeloe vlucht voor agenten, die hem wilde fouilleren omdat hij geen ID kon tonen. Een van de agenten rijdt op zijn fatbike. Alfredo, die overleed bij zijn aanhouding, had meer dan een gebruikershoeveelheid drugs op zak op dat moment. pic.twitter.com/VVEb2gjDld
— Joey Bremer (@010fotograaf) September 15, 2026
