Warsaw police has released footage of a high-speed car chase after an intoxicated driver. In an attempt to escape, the man drove his vehicle along the hard shoulder, next he switched to the opposing lane and sped against the traffic. Once he was apprehended by the police, it turned out he was under the influence of an intoxicant.
"The man has heard two charges: not stopping for a road check and driving under the influence of intoxicants," Praga Południe Police press officer Joanna Węgrzyniak told tvnwarszawa.pl on Thursday (August 3).
The incident took place on Bronisława Czecha Street in eastern Warsaw. A traffic police patrol spotted a driver skipping the red light at an intersection. The officers switched on the blue lights in their unmarked vehicle and approached the vehicle. But the driver did not stop.
Over the speed limit, against the traffic
The footage published by the police shows that the driver not only does not stop for a road check, but - on the contrary - speeds up. He overtakes other vehicles through the hard shoulder and squeezes between the properly moving cars. The police officers followed suit. "Bloodcurdling scenes," said the officers who had taken part in the chase.
"The driver started to flee in a dangerous way towards Wesoła, after which he U-turned in the direction of Warsaw, and - near Wawerska Street - he switched onto the opposing lane and went against the traffic," they added.
"At many sections, he largely exceeded the speed limit, changed lanes in an incorrect and dangerous way, not giving way to other vehicles, and then - going the opposing lane - he forced other cars to hit the brakes dangerously and stop," the officers said.
Driver under influence
In the video we can see the fleeing car was going over 150 km/h, with the speed limit in that section at 100 km/h. When he was speeding against the traffic, other drivers were forced to make dangerous maneouvres.
Eventually, a marked police car blocked the escaping car's way at Wierzchowskiego Street. The chase lasted a few minutes. "The driver was not drunk, but initial tests showed he was driving under the influence of an intoxicant," the police said on social media.
"The chased vehicle was hauled to a police parking, the driver's driving license was seized, while he himself was detained and placed under arrest. The fate of the driver will be decided by the court," the police added.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, tvnwarszawa.pl
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: KSP