A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to two years in prison by a Vienna court following a reckless drive through the city.
In a ruling on Friday, the Vienna Regional Criminal Court said the man, who works at a snack stand, endangered pedestrians and sped towards a police car at 170 km/h.
“It was extremely dangerous and reckless,” warned Judge Gerald Wagner, adding that it was pure luck that no one was injured. The sentence is final.
The 23-year-old was driving a car that actually belonged to a friend, who was sitting in the passenger seat. When the two were stopped by police, the driver panicked. Instead of pulling over, he sped off, repeatedly running red lights, ignoring the right of way and driving into oncoming traffic.
Pedestrians on zebra crossings had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.
The friend pleaded with him to stop, fearing for his life. However, the 23-year-old kept speeding, narrowly avoiding a collision with a police car.
Throughout the chase, police repeatedly warned the driver through a loudspeaker. The situation became even more dangerous when the car raced towards a busy construction site at Matzleinsdorfer Platz. Construction workers had to run behind a crane for cover. The car then finally crashed at the site, bringing the reckless journey to an end.