Witnesses in the “Pulse” case: Police were outside the nightclub and assisted after the fire broke out

At the court hearing against 13 police officials accused of failing to implement the action plan at the “Pulse” nightclub, witnesses called by the defense spoke about the police presence before and after the fire. One of them said that, as he was a minor, he left the venue after being informed of a police inspection shortly before the fire broke out. Another testified that, after the incident, he had seen police officers helping evacuate people and clear the area.

The first witness said he had arrived at the nightclub at around 1:15 a.m., but he and his friends went outside after learning that police were conducting an inspection.

“The waiter came and told us there were police officers outside,” he testified, explaining that at that moment he was standing near the door with his friends.

According to his testimony, a police officer stopped them at the entrance and took their personal details. At the same moment, an announcement was heard from inside the venue that a fire had broken out.

“Someone inside shouted that there was a fire, and the police officer told us to run away from the scene,” the witness said. Asked whether the officer who had identified them was in the courtroom, he pointed to defendant Marjan Radevski.

The witness confirmed that the reason they left the nightclub was that they were minors and had realized there were police officers outside.

When asked whether they would have stayed at the venue had there been no police presence, he replied that they would have.

The second witness said he had begun the evening at the “Bulevar” café and later, together with his friends, headed to the “Pulse” nightclub, where they arrived at around 2 a.m.

He said that near the entrance he had seen several injured people lying on the ground and that, together with the police officers, he helped move them to create space at the entrance.

“Marjan asked us to clear the entrance by the stairs,” the witness testified, adding that he helped him move several people to the side./Telegrafi/