A man who hit pedestrians while being chased by police last year was sentenced to three years in prison by the Antwerp Correctional Court. Prosecutors had sought a six-year term.
Police identified a stolen Audi A6 on 28 September 2024 on Gemeentestraat in Antwerp. When they attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver sped away, smashing through a barrier separating the road from the tram platform, and hitting a mother and her 14-year-old son. Both victims were knocked to the ground and narrowly avoided being run over. They sustained only minor injuries but were left in shock.
The driver continued his escape but eventually crashed into retractable bollards on Anneessensstraat. He fled on foot into an underground garage where he was eventually subdued. The man did not have a driving licence. During questioning, he blamed the police for the incident involving the pedestrians.
He later claimed he had panicked and had not intended to hit the pedestrians, expressing remorse. He denied stealing the Audi, saying he had intended to return it to the owner, whom he did not know—a claim dismissed as implausible by the prosecution.
The accused has a history of similar offences and has evidently not learned from past convictions, the prosecutor said.
