A high-speed police chase had a grave ending in the early hours of Sunday morning as the fugitive driver crashed in the Annie Cordy tunnel in Brussels, the Brussels public prosecutor's office confirmed.
The getaway car – a Citroën with four occupants – was trying to escape a police check in Zellick. A hot pursuit followed, with the driver losing control and slamming into the walls as he exited the tunnel.
As a result, one of the car's passengers was thrown out of the car and didn't survive the crash. The driver and the two remaining passengers were saved from the vehicle by firefighters. The driver and one passenger were gravely injured while the third had less severe wounds.
Investigations open
Brussels prosecution has opened judicial investigations against the driver of the car. Sarah Durant, a spokesperson for the Brussels public prosecutor's office, confirmed that the prosecution attended the scene with a traffic expert. A medical examiner has been selected and camera footage will be reviewed.
"Four young men were involved, born in 1993, 2000 and 2003," Durant said. She noted that the prosecutor's office has "also requested an examining magistrate for involuntary manslaughter by a traffic accident, driving without a license, speeding and dangerous driving."
Fatal car incidents have recently been declining in Belgium, according to the most recent figures from Statbel, Belgium's national office of statistics. Officials attribute the reduction largely to the pandemic, with a 20% drop in road accidents between 2019 and 2020, when the pandemic first struck.
