Two German police officers were injured Monday night in Saarland, Germany, not far from the French border after a French driver refused to comply during a police check, according to a statement from local law enforcement.
Aboard a Citroën C4, this 30-year-old man was on the Weiler rest area, located 5 km from the French border and about forty kilometers from Thionville (Moselle), when German police officers from the federal police station in Saarbrücken ordered him to stop around 19:45 p.m.
Several kilometres travelled in the wrong direction
The driver then fled "at high speed" on the highway. It traveled several kilometers and caused a lot of damage: while crossing an area under construction, it overturned many traffic beacons, and one of its tires punctured. Despite this, he continued his journey towards the city of Saarlouis, about thirty kilometers away. In particular, the driver took one of the oncoming traffic lanes, says the German police. "Several drivers had to avoid it to prevent any accidents."
Caught in a pincer movement by an oncoming police vehicle, the thirty-year-old then continued his flight by trying to bypass the police by the sidewalk of the road, while many pedestrians were present. To prevent this, the police car had no choice but to ram the fleeing vehicle. The two Saarlouis police officers on board were then injured, one of them had to be hospitalized.
The driver was accompanied by a passenger, both were arrested. The passenger was released, pending possible prosecution. However, criminal proceedings have already been initiated against the driver and his suspended licence. In addition, local police officers discovered in the vehicle "a substance suspected of being a narcotic".
