A charred car in Broek, the Netherlands, following a police chase on May 19, 2021. – AFP
A heist and a spectacular chase north of Amsterdam ended dramatically on Wednesday. A suspected thief died, two were injured and seven people were arrested in the crossfire, local police said.
The news item, which kept the Netherlands in suspense all evening, began around 2.15 pm Armed individuals, around ten according to the media, attacked a vehicle transporting goods near a security company. precious metals located north of the Dutch capital. Several Dutch media indicate that the attacked vehicle was carrying a large shipment of gold and diamonds, worth around 50 million euros.
Scenes of chaos
Police said the suspects then fled in two vehicles to the small village of Broek in Waterland, pursued by dozens of police. “It’s a situation that doesn’t happen every year,” the police spokesman said.
Witness videos broadcast by Dutch media show a car crashing into a garden and the fugitives, all dressed in black, scampering off to a nearby meadow. The footage also shows scenes of chaos, with helicopters flying over firefights between police and thieves under dark skies, and a column of smoke emanating from a burning car. A police spokesperson confirmed that the mobilized police used their firearms. According to him, however, it has not been established at this stage whether the bullets that killed one of the suspected thieves and injured two others came from the police.