Police Officer Killed in High-Speed Chase
A 37-year-old Polish man is in custody, accused of deliberately running over a 32-year-old police officer in a high-speed chase in the German state of Brandenburg. The officer, a member of a joint police task force, was attempting to lay a “stop stick” on the road to impede the suspects’ getaway car when he was struck and killed.
The incident occurred on Tuesday as part of a cross-border operation targeting a known gang of car thieves. The officer, a resident of Saxony, was part of a joint team with the federal police, investigating a string of car thefts.
According to the Cottbus state prosecutor’s office, the suspects were being pursued in a joint operation with the Lower Saxony authorities, who had provided a crucial tip that led to the discovery of the stolen vehicles in Brandenburg.
The police officer, who was trying to deploy the stop stick, was struck by the fleeing car and was thrown several meters through the air, suffering fatal head, arm, and leg injuries.
Three other men, including one who was driving a stolen car, were arrested at the scene, and a fourth suspect, the driver of the stolen Jeep, was later apprehended. The investigation is ongoing, with the state prosecutor’s office in Cottbus now considering a murder charge against the accused.
The three other men, whose identities were initially unclear, are suspected of being involved in the theft ring, with one driving a stolen vehicle and the others in a getaway car that struck the officer.
The authorities in Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, had already been investigating the accused for band of thieves and car theft, and will now seek an arrest warrant.
As a sign of mourning, the Brandenburg police have ordered all patrol cars to be draped in black, and a flag of mourning has been ordered for all police buildings and offices. The officer, who was from Saxony, leaves behind a life partner and a young daughter.