With wife and children in the back seat Man chases thieves in his car - and goes to prison
After a theft in Bern, a 44-year-old man engaged in a risky chase with two thieves - while his wife and two small children were in the car. A police officer was only able to save himself by jumping out of the way. The man has now been sentenced to 27 months in prison.
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- After a theft, a 44-year-old man chased two men by car in Bern.
- During the chase, he endangered other road users and a police officer.
- The court sentenced him to 27 months in prison, eight of which he must serve.
A 44-year-old man from Serbia has been sentenced to a partial prison term of 27 months by the District Court of St. Gallen. He must spend eight months of this in prison. The background to this is a dangerous car chase that took place in Bern in June 2024, as reported by "20 Minuten".
The man was traveling by car with his wife and two children when he was approached by two men at the Reitschule who wanted to sell him cocaine. When he pulled out some cash, one of the men stole his wallet containing over 2,000 francs and fled on an e-scooter.
In a rage, the 44-year-old got into his BMW, which had fake Lithuanian license plates, and took off in pursuit - despite having 0.86 per mille alcohol in his blood and his two children (aged 3 and 6) in the back seat.
Chase across the city
The chase led right across Bern. The man disregarded several traffic regulations and endangered other road users. At the Lorraine Bridge, he caught up with one of the thieves, grabbed him by the arm and drove off in reverse. The man was dragged along and almost run over, according to 20 Minuten. When the BMW crashed into a parked car, the thief was able to flee.
In the meantime, the police were alerted and tried to stop the driver. At Bollwerk, a police officer approached the vehicle and ordered it to stop. The 44-year-old braked briefly, but then accelerated and raced towards the officer. The officer was only able to save himself by jumping to the side.
The pursuit only ended when the damaged BMW was no longer drivable. The man was arrested. He confessed in court and was remorseful: "I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing. I just wanted my money back, not to cause such trouble."
In addition to the prison sentence of 27 months - 19 months of which were suspended - the man must pay a fine of 600 francs and cover the costs of the proceedings as well as civil claims. He will also be banned from the country for ten years.
The verdict is not yet final.
