Trial Postponed After Car Chase in Carinthia
Because he engaged in a wild car chase with the police while intoxicated in January, a 29-year-old from Lower Austria had to answer to the Klagenfurt Regional Court on Wednesday. The man sped away at over 200 km/h, caused several accidents, and attempted to push police cars off the road. The trial was postponed.
"I just hit the gas"
The 29-year-old already has ten previous convictions. On January 8, it finally led to a disastrous combination: The next day, the man, who never had a driver's license ("But I always had a car anyway!"), was supposed to start a prison sentence in Lower Austria. He was caught by an undercover police officer sitting at the wheel of his car in St. Veit an der Glan with some beer and schnapps in his system.
"It was a catastrophic situation for me, I just hit the gas. I already knew then that I was going to be in big trouble," the 29-year-old stated. This was followed by a drive that his defense attorney commented on Wednesday: "One must be thankful that this is being tried by a single judge and not before a jury" - implying that his client could also be facing murder charges if the outcome of the drive had been different.
120 km/h in St. Veit
The then 28-year-old sped through St. Veit at up to 120 km/h and entered the S37, where he accelerated to over 200 km/h. In doing so, he left a trail of destruction behind him: The Lower Austrian caused several traffic accidents and, according to the indictment, also attempted to push police cars off the road. It was only another accident that stopped the man, who at that point was driving on a spark-emitting rim due to a tire damage. The chase covered a distance of 17 kilometers.
"I had to swerve the whole time! I tried to do that as best as I could," the 29-year-old presented his version of events. During the evasive maneuvers, "I also crashed into police cars. That was unavoidable." "Yes, it was. By braking!" Judge Sabine Götz pointed out an obvious reaction. "That was no longer possible, my car was already so damaged that I couldn't brake anymore," the defendant insisted.
Police Officers Interviewed
This deviated from the announced confession, noted prosecutor Ines Küttler. So the police officers involved in the chase were interviewed. Already in the city area, he saw the defendant push a police car aside, said one of them. When the pursued car was encircled on the expressway, he tried it again. "So no accidental contact?" the prosecutor wanted to know. "From my perspective, he tried to push the police aside. It never once seemed to me that he was trying to stop," said the officer, as did several colleagues. The defendant also accelerated several times.
To clarify the exact circumstances of a particularly dangerous situation during the drive - the defendant had sped towards a police car into which an officer was just getting - the trial was adjourned to obtain an automotive technical report. If this is indeed an attempted serious bodily harm, the 29-year-old faces up to 7.5 years in prison.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.