Antwerp (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): A suspected drunk driver fled from police in Antwerp leading to a dangerous chase. He crashed into police cars before being caught on the E17. Some officers were injured.
On 27July in evening at 8:30 PM on Sint-Jansplein the Antwerp police were checking cars as usual. They stopped a driver who seemed drunk and high. Kim Bastiaens who speaks for the police said the driver failed tests for both alcohol and drugs. The man should have been taken in for driving while impaired. The problem got worse when the driver ran away instead of listening to the police. This turned a normal stop into a dangerous chase. His choice to escape put himself the officers and everyone at risk. It has been said that it shows how dangerous impaired driving is and how far some people will go to avoid getting caught.
What were the consequences of the reckless driver’s dangerous chase through Antwerp?
The driver started driving recklessly through the city changing a normal stop into a fast chase. The chase went through Turnhoutsebaan then Binnensingel and finally towards the E17 motorway through the Kennedytunnel. During this wild escape the driver’s dangerous driving put many other people on the road and pedestrians at risk. The driver started driving recklessly through the city changing a normal stop into a fast chase. The chase went through Turnhoutsebaan, then Binnensingel and finally towards the E17 motorway through the Kennedytunnel. During this wild escape the driver’s dangerous driving put many other people on the road and pedestrians at risk.
The car that was running away drove very fast through the city center even going against traffic at times. This dangerous driving created chaos and made it more likely for the car to crash into other vehicles or people walking. Many police units like vans, motorcycles, and a rapid response team vehicle were involved in chasing the car. Kim Bastiaens who speaks for the Antwerp police said the car that was running away hit a few police cars during the chase. A rapid response team officer got hurt because of this. A police motorcyclist was hit three times by the running car and had to go to the hospital for a check-up.
The police had to shoot at the car to stop the driver. They caught him at the Sint-Niklaas exit on the E17. The driver a 38-year-old man was arrested. The police are still checking the damage caused. One police car was wrecked and another car was badly damaged. They are investigating why the driver fled like that and took his car for inspection.
