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Crime

Child crashes joyride car into police

Darko Janjevic
August 24, 2019

A 13-year-old crashed his stepfather's Suzuki into a patrol car in Hanover. Previously, an 8-year-old was busted for stealing and crashing his mother's car in Dortmund.

Police Hannover
Image: imago stock&people

German police deployed several cars in pursuit of a 13-year-old who had taken his stepfather's Suzuki Jimny for a ride in Hanover, authorities said on Saturday. The pursuit ended when the young driver slammed the SUV into a patrol car. Both he and a police officer sustained light injuries.

Police were first alerted on Friday night, when a motorist called to report a very young-looking driver in a yellow SUV, who was driving with his lights off. An undercover police patrol soon located the vehicle, which was still moving with no lights.

The teenager ignored the officers' signals and started driving towards the central area of the city.

Another day, another child driver

Eventually, several patrol cars joined the pursuit. At one point, the youth turned onto tram rails in order to avoid a police car. The 60-year-old police driver then placed his car sideways at a level crossing, hoping to force the Suzuki to a halt. However, the 13-year-old instead hit the police vehicle, sustaining injuries. One of the policemen, who was in the passenger seat, was also injured.

The collision also caused some €20,000 ($22,481) in property damage.

Investigators found no indication that the child was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The driver has been placed in a clinic and his family has been informed.

Police have asked any witnesses to come forward.

Earlier this week, an 8-year-old from the German city of Soest was captured by the police after taking his mother's car for a joyride. On Friday, he repeated the offense and managed to reach Dortmund, over 50 kilometers (31 miles) from his home city. The ride ended after he crashed into the trailer of a parked truck.

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