Baden-Württemberg Police shoot excavator driver - the log of a death drive
A man steals an excavator and leaves a trail of destruction in the Main-Tauber district. The chase with the police ends fatally for him.
31.12.2024, 18:33
31.12.2024, 20:07
dpa
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- A 38-year-old German man stole an excavator and vandalized a construction company in Grünfeld in Baden-Württemberg at midday today.
- The man then engaged in a mile-long chase with the police, during which three officers were injured.
- The driver was shot dead by the police in Tauberbischifsheim.
- The authorities initially reported a "suspected rampage", but have now apparently refrained from using the term.
- At least four police cars were damaged.
According to the police, the drive lasted more than 50 minutes - just under an hour, during which scenes from an action movie played out in the Main-Tauber district.
A man took control of an excavator this New Year's Eve afternoon, used it to destroy buildings and vehicles and chased the police for miles.
Three officers are injured. In the end, the police shoot the excavator driver. The man dies on the spot.
The record of a rampage
It was around 1.30 p.m. in the town of Grünsfeld when, according to police reports, the man took control of an excavator on the premises of a construction company and used it to damage buildings and vehicles on the site. He destroyed the entire building inventory, according to a spokeswoman.
At 1.35 pm, witnesses call the police. Patrol cars drive up and try to stop the excavator. But the man drives off onto the main road towards Tauberbischofsheim, which is a few kilometers away. A chase begins between the excavator and the emergency services.
Update 6.30 p.m.: A police spokeswoman spoke to dpa in the evening about the chase. "Putting a police car in the way of an excavator - you can imagine how sensible that is," she is quoted as saying. At least four patrol cars were damaged, and it remains to be seen how many civilian cars were involved. The police are asking witnesses and injured parties to come forward.
Videos circulating on the internet, but deliberately not shown here, show a yellow excavator driving through a village, past a petrol station, shots can be heard. Another video shows the excavator repeatedly turning on its own axis, officers circling the vehicle and firing shots.
At around 2.22 p.m., according to the police, the journey is over. The man is resuscitated on the spot, but still dies from his injuries. There is no longer any danger to the public, says a spokeswoman.
The background to the crime is unclear. The police initially write on X of a "suspected rampage" and speak of a "driver running amok". This is no longer mentioned in the press release, which is published a little later.
Extremely dynamic and dangerous situation
We already know that the man is a 38-year-old German. It was initially unclear whether the excavator driver worked for the construction company on whose site he was raging. The police are not currently assuming a political background. A spokeswoman was initially unable to say whether a mental illness was behind the incident.
Three police officers were slightly injured. The police had previously reported that one officer was seriously injured. One officer was trapped in the incident and is now unfit for duty, but has since been able to leave hospital. No details were initially known about the other two injured officers.
The police union praised the efforts of the officers on the scene. "The forces deployed acted professionally in an extremely dynamic and dangerous situation and thus prevented worse things from happening," said Thomas Mohr, deputy state chairman of the GdP in Baden-Württemberg.
He added: "It is tragic that one life was lost in the end, but the police had a responsibility to prevent further casualties and ensure the safety of the population."
