After a series of dozens of stones thrown at moving cars in Swabia, the police arrested a suspect. An arrest warrant was issued against the 49-year-old on Friday, the public prosecutor’s office and the police reported on Wednesday. Investigators are now investigating whether the man could be charged with attempted murder or other crimes.
The suspect is a truck driver from the northern district of Augsburg. So far he has not commented on the allegations. Since October 2022 there had been stone throwing on the highway-like federal highway 2 between Gersthofen near Augsburg and Mertingen (Donau-Ries district). Investigators assume at least 35 cases by early February. In a few cases, the windshields of vehicles were smashed through, and one woman was slightly injured. In many cases, however, it was only property damage.
In the past few months, the police had expanded their checks along the B 2 because of the series of stone throwing. In addition to the officials of the inspection in Gersthofen and the Augsburg Criminal Police Office, the State Criminal Police Office in Munich was also involved. The police assume that the 49-year-old can be proven at least four cases. “Both the motives and the question of whether the suspect is suitable for other cases in the series are the subject of the ongoing criminal investigation,” it said. Details of how the investigators became aware of the man were not given.
Rock throwers are difficult for the police to catch. In recent years, the police headquarters in Swabia North has caught people who threw stones at moving cars in just over 50 percent of the cases. Psychologists say that in such cases, perpetrators often want to develop a sense of power – suddenly all drivers are afraid. However, the attacks are potentially life-threatening, and in other cases the accused have already been sentenced to long prison terms for murder or attempted murder.