Police officer dies in Germany after violent encounter with teenager

A police officer has died after being called over an altercation at an allotment garden in eastern Germany where officers were met by a violent teenager, police said on Saturday morning, reported dpa.

When they arrived at the scene in the allotment in the town of Bad Frankenhausen, an 18-year-old boy lashed out at those around him, hitting officers in the process, police said.

The reason for the fight was initially unclear, as well the number of people involved in it.

The 57-year-old officer collapsed near the scene of the incident and had to be resuscitated. He was taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Erfurt, where he died in the early hours of the morning.

The State Office of Criminal Investigation has taken over the investigation.

Allotment gardens are common in Germany, especially in and around bigger cities. Originally the spaces were given to the lower classes who flocked to urban areas with the onset of the industrialization, to enable them to grow their own food.

Today, these individually cultivated plots are still usually leased at a comparatively low price, providing a much sought-after opportunity for residents of big cities to enjoy their own garden, which often includes a small hut for weekend accommodation, similar to a Russian dacha.