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Damaged car: nine-year-old on illegal joyride
Photo: Essen Police / dpa
After an accident escape in Essen, the investigation led to a far too young driver.
The nine-year-old boy, who, according to the police, "could just look over the steering wheel," drove a car through the Steele district on Monday.
On his journey, he reportedly injured a 58-year-old pedestrian and rammed several vehicles.
"It was very lucky that no more happened," said a police spokesman.
The pedestrian was able to jump back and was therefore only slightly injured.
After damaging a moving vehicle and other parked vehicles, the nine-year-old left the scene of the accident "in an extremely unsafe manner", according to witnesses.
The witnesses described the driver as probably 14 to 16 years old, it said.
Because, according to the police, he was observed on the way to Bochum, the officials there also intervened in the search.
The damaged car was discovered half an hour later.
It turned out that the attached red license plates were forged and the car was actually registered to a 35-year-old woman in Sindelfingen in Baden-Württemberg.
The police finally investigated the nine-year-old, who reportedly did not suffer any injuries himself.
The boy confessed remorsefully that he took the car key out of his 24-year-old brother's pocket and drove away in the car.
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wit / dpa / AFP