A court in Nivelles acquitted on Wednesday the final police officer prosecuted over a fatal police chase in Brussels in 2017 that left Ouassim Toumi, 24, and Sabrina El Bakkali, 20, dead.
Three officers were originally put on trial: two who pursued the motorbike and a dog unit police officer who independently tried to stop it.
Toumi, who was riding the motorbike, collided with the dog unit police vehicle and died instantly. His passenger was seriously injured and later died.
Two of the officers had already been acquitted. Only the dog unit police officer, identified as J.D., still had to answer before the Nivelles court over allegations that he had unintentionally caused the rider’s death.
After being convicted at first instance and again on appeal by the French-speaking criminal court in Brussels, J.D.’s criminal conviction was quashed by the Court of Cassation. The case was then referred to the criminal court in Nivelles.
After examining all the circumstances of the police intervention, the Nivelles court found that the officer had committed no fault.
In reaching that decision, the court relied on the urgent nature of the situation, the traffic and visibility conditions, the findings of the investigation, the conclusions of the vehicle expert and the position of the police car in the right-hand lane with its blue lights activated.
The court found that the police vehicle remained visible to other road users and that two lanes were left clear for a motorbike to pass.
It also ruled that the position of the police vehicle in traffic was not unreasonable given its aim: intercepting the motorbike and stopping driving that posed an immediate danger to the physical safety of others.
The court acquitted J.D. on all charges.
