A repeat traffic offender who, on September 16, 2024, tried to evade a police traffic check in Vienna, caused a crash while fleeing and drove toward an officer who ordered him to get out at gunpoint, was brought to justice on Thursday at the Vienna Regional Court. He was given a final sentence of three and a half years in prison.
Originally, prosecutors had investigated the 33-year-old for attempted murder. However, the alleged intent to kill was dropped by the prosecution only a few weeks ago. The defendant was found guilty by a jury court of attempted aggravated bodily harm, endangering physical safety, and resisting state authority. Both defense attorney Christian Werner—who described the act as a “needless, utterly stupid action”—and the prosecutor accepted the verdict.
The officers in a patrol car had recognized the 33-year-old, who was wanted for unpaid administrative fines totaling €33,000, as he drove through Vienna-Leopoldstadt with his partner and their four-month-old daughter in the passenger seat. With flashing lights and sirens, they followed his vehicle and signaled him to stop. Instead, he accelerated, turned the wrong way into Wehlistraße, lost control due to excessive speed, and crashed into another car. The other driver suffered whiplash and bruising to his left shoulder.
Officer Dodged Vehicle Just In Time
Despite the crash, the 33-year-old did not give up. According to the indictment, he drove toward an officer standing in his path with a drawn pistol at 13 km/h. The prosecutor said the officer avoided being hit or knocked down only by jumping aside in time. The car’s side mirror brushed the officer’s right arm. The chase finally ended when the man’s vehicle skidded, crashed into a construction site, and became wedged between a fence and a concrete pillar.
Even then, the defendant did not turn off the engine. It took four shots fired by an officer into the car’s tires before he surrendered. His partner and their infant daughter were unharmed, while the driver had to be forcibly removed from the car by police.
Defendant Cited Fear Of Prison As Motive
In court, the defendant claimed he acted out of fear of going to jail. He knew he would have to serve a six-week substitute prison sentence for unpaid fines: “I could already see the cell in front of me.” He said he desperately wanted to avoid imprisonment: “I was afraid I’d lose my job and my wife would be left alone with the baby.”
He expressed deep remorse afterward: “I’m very sorry. It burns in my heart,” said the nine-time convicted offender. He swore “on my daughter’s life” that he had never intended to injure the police officer.
