Trial for attempted murder
Police officers carried away: drivers in court
The defendant (M) and his defense attorney in the courtroom in the Bielefeld regional court. photo
© Bernd Thissen/dpa
A young man is on trial in Bielefeld because he is said to have seriously injured two police officers with his car. The prosecutors see an attempted murder, the 21-year-old’s lawyer points to a panic attack.
During a traffic stop, a young driver suddenly accelerated and with his The car dragged two police officers and seriously injured them. Since this Friday, the 21-year-old has been standing before the Bielefeld regional court on charges of attempted murder.
According to the prosecution, the two police officers stopped him on a March evening in Lübbecke, East Westphalia, and smelled the smell of marijuana. When the officers stood at his open car door, the German is said to have suddenly driven backwards, then forwards. In order not to get under the wheels, the police officers are said to have held on to the car – one clung to the side of the hood, the second hung in the driver’s door. He was thrown away from the car in a roundabout. The other had previously fallen onto the road after the car backed into a traffic sign.
After being asked to stop, the defendant is said to have accelerated again. The police officers suffered abrasions and broken bones, and one suffered a traumatic brain injury. The public prosecutor’s office is convinced that the defendant’s only intention was to avoid the situation and possible criminal prosecution. He is said to have fled the scene and set his car on fire in the neighboring town.
The defendant initially did not comment, but according to his lawyers, he wants to provide information during the trial. His defense attorney made it clear on the sidelines of the trial on Friday that he considered a charge of attempted murder to be excessive: At no time did his client intend for a police officer to die. Rather, he had a panic attack, said defense attorney Ali Mojab.