Serbian was "lucky"

Wild chase on foot across Vienna highway

After dinner together in Vienna, a couple gave a drunken friend a lift home. But the man grabbed the gear stick in the middle of the A23 city highway and wanted to get out. What followed was a cinematic chase with the police on foot along the Südosttangente.

"We were in front of the tunnel. Suddenly he attacked me from the back seat. Then he grabbed the gear stick and wanted to get out of the car in the middle of the highway," the driver reported as a witness in the Vienna Regional Court. She was able to stop quickly on the right-hand emergency lane in front of the tunnel at around midnight on July 21. "I was in shock," the driver recalls.

The confused 52-year-old passenger, a truck driver by profession, immediately jumped out of the car. Officers in a passing patrol car became aware of the incident. 

The client of Wolfgang Haas (right) is relieved about the diversion.(Bild: Anja Richter, Krone KREATIV)

They observed the man running across the roadway and the oncoming lane of the Südosttangente, which was busy despite the late hour. A police officer took up the chase and also ran across the lanes: "We didn't know what had happened. After around 400 meters of chasing on foot on the freeway, the young officer caught up with the fugitive, who was charged with intentional endangerment of the public, resisting law enforcement and grievous bodily harm. When he was stopped, the Serbian reached for the officer's weapon: "Suddenly he grabbed my service weapon," the police officer recalls.

Carried into the car with ankle cuffs
The Serb continued to put up massive resistance. He was unable to explain why during the trial. Three other officers rushed over. The four of them had to restrain the highway "speedster", put a shackle on him and lift him into the car. The man repeatedly tried to step on the police officers. He eventually had to spend the night in a specially secured cell. 

"You were very lucky that nothing happened," says the judge. The client of defense lawyer Wolfgang Haas nods. "I was drunk and just wanted to go home." Ms. Rat sees an acceptance of responsibility and offers the Serb a diversion with a probationary period of two years and a lump sum of 150 euros. "You're obviously very unhappy about what happened that evening."