Brussels Police Cleared in Fatal Chase of 19-Year-Old During Pandemic Lockdown

The facts date back to the evening of April 10, 2020, when the young Adil was stopped by the police for speeding, according to a press release from the Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office. He was with another person when they were stopped. The police were conducting a routine check when Adil fled. A chase ensued between the young man and the police who had to turn back, on Place Docteur De Meersman, due to the configuration of the area taken by the young man from Anderlecht. They had to inform other teams that had come as reinforcements. "A police vehicle then arrives in front of the moped on the Quai de l’Industrie. At that moment, the moped follows a van. As the van crosses the police vehicle, the moped pulls out from behind the van and collides head-on with the front left of the police vehicle," the Prosecutor’s Office recalls.

According to the automotive expertise, the accident occurred when the police and the suspect were heading towards Rue Jules Ruhl. At the time of the impact, the police vehicle was traveling at a residual speed between 17 km/h and 25 km/h. against 57.6 km/h and 70.4 km/h for the moped. This speed was not authorized or adequate in relation to the braking capacity of a moped, nor adapted to the configuration of the place, specifies the report. Worse, the driver was not wearing a helmet at the time of the impact.

The same report states that the recordings of the radio communications exchanged between the police officers do not reveal any collusion between the police officers. In view of all these details and facts, the investigating judge cleared the police officers, including the driver of the vehicle. As for the Public Prosecutor’s Office, it pronounced a dismissal. This decision did not meet with unanimous approval among the young people in the locality, who launched stone and Molotov cocktail attacks.