Crash & manhunt

Vorarlberg man flees from Swiss police

The completely demolished getaway car in which the man from Vorarlberg was traveling without permission. (Bild: Kantonspolizei Sankt Gallen)

A 34-year-old man from Vorarlberg kept the Swiss police in Sankt Margrethen, just across the border from Vorarlberg, on their toes early on Friday morning. The man gave chase in a stolen car.  

The 34-year-old from Vorarlberg was driving in a previously stolen car in St. Margreten towards Thal at around 5 o'clock on Friday morning. Even then, he was driving at a massively excessive speed. At a traffic circle, the driver lost control of the car, which crashed into a tree at the side of the road. This in turn was observed by a police patrol. As the driver simply drove on, the officers took up the pursuit. 

The man deliberately ignored the officers' requests to stop and continued to accelerate. At the next traffic circle, the car skidded off the road again. The car broke through a wire mesh fence, crashed into a parked car and finally came to a standstill in a parking lot, completely demolished. 

Short escape on foot
The driver still refused to give up, got out of the wreck and fled on foot. However, this endeavor was not crowned with success, after a few meters the handcuffs clicked. The Vorarlberg man was classified by the Swiss officials as "not fit to drive". He was also not in possession of a driver's license.

Alert issued for wanted persons
Further investigations revealed that the man was even wanted in Austria. He has therefore already been handed over to the Austrian authorities. The damage caused amounts to around 28,000 euros.