More and more heinous details are emerging from the beating death of a 57-year-old man in the Old Botanical Garden in Munich, with video footage revealing that the victim was killed by a kung-fu kick to the head.
Several surveillance cameras recorded the attack, which saw the main perpetrator, 30-year-old Polish national Rafal Artur Pawlak, slapping the victim in the face. After that, another man kicked the Munich man in the butt, which forced him to fall to the ground. Once he got back up, Pawlak is said to have delivered a powerful kung-fu kick directly to the man’s face, according to police.
The man fell to the ground and died days later from the injury in the hospital.
After the suspects fled from the scene, the police were able to identify the attacker, but the manhunt continues. He is known for committing other violent crimes as well.
Investigators searched apartments in Milbertshofen, Schwabing and Thalkirchen. Police say it is possible Pawlak has already fled to Poland, with Munich homicide police now conducting a cross-border search.
Two other men in the case were arrested, including the man who kicked the man in the butt. The other man is listed as a witness.
Munich, once one of the most peaceful cities in Europe, now features “no-go” zones, with the Botanical Gardens considered to be within one such area. In 2023, there were 790 drug crimes, 88 assaults, and 13 sexual offenses in this part of the city. A crime is committed there every nine hours.
Police Director Sigrid Kienle, head of Police Inspectorate 14, said: “This is not a good look for Munich. The feeling of security among women is significantly affected. It happens that female passers-by are groped.”
In a separate incident that same week, an elderly couple was attacked at a bus station on Sept. 24 at 3:00 p.m.
A 24-year-old Congolese migrant beat the 79- and 86-year-old couple; however, despite suffering injuries, they were not serious enough for the couple to request medical treatment at a hospital.
The suspect was arrested, but police claim mental illness may have been responsible for the attack. The man is being investigated for previous bodily harm.
