Brussels Court Orders New Investigation into 2017 Fatal Police Chase

The families of Sabrina and Ouassim have at least one reason for satisfaction. The long-awaited decision has finally been made. The Brussels Chamber Council referred the case back to the public prosecutor’s office, thus giving a favorable outcome to the civil party, who expects the police officers to be indicted, reports BX1. The judge considered that the chase was dangerous and disproportionate given the facts attributed to Sabrina and Ouassim, namely the non-compliance with the Highway Code, said Sabrina’s lawyer, Joke Callewaert. According to the judge’s clarifications, "the conditions were not met to use force (permitted by Article 37 of the Law on the Police Function of August 5, 1992)," she explains.

The facts had occurred on May 9, 2017 around 9:30 pm. A police patrol had chased Ouassim Toumi, 24, and Sabrina El Bakkali, 20, who were on a motorcycle, at the level of the Poelaert square in Brussels. It had noticed that the motorcyclist was driving recklessly. Two other patrols had also joined the chase of the motorcyclist. The motorcycle collided with the rear left of a patrol vehicle from the canine brigade of the Brussels-Capital-Ixelles local police. Ouassim Toumi died on the spot. His passenger, Sabrina, died at the hospital later that night.

In this case, "only the police officers on board the car that initiated the chase and the one on board the car that set up the roadblock must be indicted," the judge estimates. They are three in number. The referral of the case to the public prosecutor’s office implies that a trial will soon be opened. "It’s a relief," rejoices Jamal El Bakkali, Sabrina’s father. "It’s a first victory, but it’s not over yet. The court must recognize the fault of the police." He expects the three police officers to tell the truth. "Why didn’t they stop the chase? Who urged them to continue the chase? Who, by radio, gave the orders?" he wonders.