The four individuals arrested on Tuesday evening following a kidnapping in Uccle and a car chase have been charged by the investigating judge, the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office said on Friday.
The four were arrested after a lengthy chase from Brussels that ended in Le Roeulx, province of Hainaut, with the intervention of several police forces and the federal police.
The investigating judge has since charged the suspects with malicious obstruction of traffic, arbitrary deprivation of liberty of a private individual with death threats, premeditated assault and battery resulting in incapacity to work, carrying and transporting a prohibited weapon, and possession of weapons under the circumstances.
On Tuesday, 13 January, at around 9 pm, several witnesses reported to the police that four individuals, armed with machetes, had struck a person on the head before forcing them into the boot of a vehicle. During the incident, the victim lost several personal belongings.
The suspects then fled towards Drogenbos, where a team from the Marlow police district (Uccle/Watermael-Boitsfort/Auderghem) began pursuing the suspect vehicle.
The chase took place on the Brussels Ring Road and then on the E19, with reinforcements from several other police zones and air support from a federal police helicopter.
During the chase, the suspects threw several objects out of the window. Their vehicle was finally intercepted in the centre of Le Roeulx, in Hainaut, after a high-speed chase followed by a foot chase.
A warning shot was also fired by police during the intervention. The victim, who was wounded in the head, was still alive when he was taken into custody.
