Babysitter in Bad Saulgau refuses to hand over a toddler and bites police officer

Two officers injured

In a further scuffle, a second officer was injured. In total, two officers sustained injuries. The exact nature and severity of the injuries were not initially quantified by police.

Another officer was able to bring the child to safety and hand it over to the parents unharmed, police said. The toddler remained uninjured throughout the entire operation.

Child handed over to parents unharmed

In addition to the 58-year-old babysitter, a 55-year-old woman who apparently knew the babysitter also came into the focus of the investigators. This woman repeatedly disrupted the police operation and filmed it with her smartphone. Her smartphone was confiscated.

Acquaintance filmed the operation

Why the 58-year-old did not want to hand over the child and why her acquaintance filmed the operation is unclear according to police. Investigations into the background are ongoing.

Both women – the 58-year-old babysitter as well as the 55-year-old companion – now face criminal consequences. Among other things, investigation proceedings are being considered against them for resisting officers, assault, and – in the case of the filming woman – for disturbing and filming an ongoing operation.

Criminal consequences for both women

The Ravensburg police assess the incident as an example of an operation that, while it ended safely for the child, placed considerable physical strain on the officers and also a considerable workload with regard to the uncooperative accompanying person. The authority announced consistent criminal prosecution.

The case also raises questions about the behavior of bystanders during police operations. Filming ongoing operations can – depending on the circumstances – be classed as a disturbance and end in proceedings, as the confiscation of the smartphone in Bad Saulgau shows.

Overall, the incident makes clear how quickly an initially civil-seeming dispute over the handover of a child can escalate into a physical altercation with police. The toddler remained uninjured, but two officers sustained injuries.