A 28-year-old suspected burglar fled from the police in Kassel for an hour, making spectacular jumps over house roofs and balconies.

In the meantime, he hid in an apartment and threatened the residents.

At the end of his escape he wanted to save himself from a height of four meters by jumping onto a lantern, which he apparently wanted to slide down.

However, he was injured and was taken to hospital by paramedics.

Late on Friday evening, residents in the Vorderen West reported to the police because a stranger had broken into an apartment building and climbed through a hatch with a ladder onto the roof of the six-storey building.

When the police arrived and addressed the 28-year-old man from a distance, he fled over the roofs of the neighboring houses.

He almost fell off the roof, police said.

He also threw several objects, including a parasol, in the direction of the police officers.

First the bell rang, then the residents were threatened

Finally he broke open a skylight on another house and got into the next building.

There he rang the doorbell.

When the resident opened a gap, the man forced his way into the apartment, took a small kitchen knife in the kitchen and threatened the resident with it.

He held the man in his apartment for about half an hour.

Thanks to his persuasion and discussions with the intruder, the occupant was finally able to leave the apartment.

The attacker then went onto the balcony of the apartment and climbed outside onto the balconies below, where he repeatedly tried to force his way into the apartments.

At the same time, several police patrols were busy warning the affected residents and taking them out of their homes.

Meanwhile, the fire brigade began to set up a safety cushion under the balconies.

Ignored the jump pad

The 28-year-old finally decided at around 12:20 a.m. to jump from a balcony from a height of about four meters onto the lantern, but he fell and injured himself.

It is still unclear why the young man, who is said to be staying in Kassel as a tourist, fled from the police.

He only spoke fragmentary English and seemed very confused, said the police chief on duty at the Hessisch-Niedersächsische Allgemeine.

Investigators have no evidence of mental illness or the influence of drugs or alcohol, a police spokesman said.

The young man is now being investigated for deprivation of liberty and threats.