Saved by jumping

Teen drove car illegally and threatened pedestrians

A 15-year-old is said to have endangered a pedestrian on a safety path in Vienna-Simmering with a borrowed car on Friday night. In the ensuing argument, the teenager threatened the 37-year-old, who had apparently had to jump to save himself, with a knife. 

In addition to charges under the Criminal Code, the 15-year-old now faces administrative charges, including driving without a license and driving under the influence.

Teen suddenly pulled out a knife
The teenager was on the road in Kopalgasse at around 2.30 a.m. and apparently displayed quite reckless driving behavior: An argument broke out between him and the passer-by after the 37-year-old "had to jump to the side when trying to cross the safety path", said police spokeswoman Barbara Gass. "In the course of the initially verbal altercation, the 15-year-old is said to have threatened the pedestrian with a knife. The 37-year-old then fled and called the police."

Car belonged to 21-year-old friend
The suspect was quickly identified with the help of the license plate number. "It turned out that the 15-year-old was driving his 21-year-old friend's car. The license plates that were attached to the vehicle were reported stolen. According to current findings, the 15-year-old is said to have stolen them beforehand," said the spokeswoman.

A knife, a stolen ATM card and a small amount of narcotics, presumably cannabis, were also seized from the teenager. He was provisionally arrested and subsequently released.