A suspect fled over the Luxembourg-French border in the early hours of Wednesday morning after being chased by police for exhibiting suspicious behaviour.

Police attention was first brought to the motorist just after 03:00 on Wednesday morning as part of a break-in prevention scheme. The man was driving along in his vehicle in Kockelscheuer, before pulling over and switching off the lights. When officers approached, the driver ducked inside the vehicle and fled, leading the police to immediately take up pursuit.

Several patrols were called for to provide assistance and the officials managed to block the car shortly before the motorway towards France. However, the driver instead rammed the police vehicle and headed for the A3 motorway. Although the officers involved were uninjured, the patrol car was so severely damaged that it could not pursue the offender. Another patrol car caught wind of the offending vehicle, but had to cancel the chase as it would have infringed upon the legal requirements of cross-border pursuit.

Article 41 of the Schengen Agreement provides a detailed list of the offenses for which the prosecution may cross the border, although a rigorous procedure must be observed in such an event. The Grand Ducal Police reported that as those provisions were not applicable, the procedure could not be intitiated, but stated that a police investigation into the identity of the driver has already bore fruit.

 

Photo by Chris Zwolle