Because of wild frenzy: Erdweger convicted

Created: 11/28/2022 7:59 am

By: Thomas Zimmerly

A young man from Erdweg raced through Olching in his BMW at 150 things, trying to escape from a police patrol.

In between, he flew over a traffic island like a stuntman and was only slowed down by a bus.

He received the receipt from the district court in Dachau.

He was convicted of a banned car race.

BY THOMAS ZIMMERLY

Dachau – A patrol from the Olching police station was ordered to Eichenau at around 10 p.m. on June 10 this year.

It was important to be there quickly to settle a fight.

The officials had switched on their blue lights and sirens, not knowing that they were not supposed to arrive in Eichenau that evening.

Because they got involved in a mission that was far more spectacular.

And which has now been legally processed before the Dachau district judge Christian Calame.

One of the police officers from back then reported on the witness stand what happened that summer night.

An Erdweger ran a race with a police vehicle © Daniel Karmann/dpa

Shortly after he and his colleague had left the inspection, a white BMW with Dachau license plates appeared in front of them and suddenly drove faster.

"I thought he would pull over to the right and let us pass," said the witness.

But the man in the tuned car, a 21-year-old from Erdweg, had other ideas.

He gave gum and roared off.

The patrol raced after them.

It went through Olching at insane speed.

Her speedometer showed 150 km/h, according to the police officer.

Then he described how the BMW slammed on the brakes at the first roundabout, drove around it, then overtook several cars and a bus, sped along in the opposite lane for a long time and headed for another roundabout.

The Erdweger crossed the relatively flat roundabout.

However, his car took off, landed on two wheels and crashed into the curb.

During the action, a piece of the wheel housing splintered off and landed in the windshield of another vehicle.

Mind you: Everything took place in town, at a speed limit of 50. But the wild frenzy, in which no one was injured, was not over yet.

The 21-year-old managed to stabilize his BMW and turn down a side street.

Another bus blocked his way there.

The Erdweger was forced to drive his car into a parking lot, got out and turned himself in to the officers.

A lot was at stake in the main hearing.

The charge: forbidden motor vehicle racing.

The penalties are high.

If people are endangered in the process, the penal framework provides for imprisonment of up to five years.

If the Erdweger had even killed someone, "we're sitting here and hearing about murder," according to Judge Calame.

On the day of the crime, he "just found out that my girlfriend cheated on me," the defendant, who had consumed neither alcohol nor other intoxicants, named his motive in the main hearing.

He was not aware that he was supposed to be traveling at 150 km/h plus.

Otherwise he confessed.

Then things got exciting in the courtroom.

Since the wild ride took place a few weeks before his 21st birthday, the big question was: will Erdweger be sentenced under juvenile criminal law with its much milder consequences, or under adult criminal law?

The juvenile court representative suggested the former.

The young man, who earns quite a good salary as a coachbuilder and lives alone in the house he inherited from his father, seemed more like a teenager when we spoke to her.

The loss of his girlfriend "was enormously triggered".

She asked the court to impose three days of counseling plus a monetary requirement on her client.

The prosecutor and especially Judge Calame saw things differently.

From the point of view of the legislature, 20-year-olds should be treated like adults, according to the prosecutor, who added: Whoever drives a car is an adult.

Otherwise the legislature would have no reason to allow him to take part in road traffic in this way.

Their demand: a fine of 7,500 euros, plus a year's driver's license suspension.

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Calame finally charged the accused 8,400 euros and made it clear to him that he would have to walk or cycle for the next nine months.

The chairman collected Erdweger's driver's license in the courtroom.