Düsseldorf. This made headlines: Five years ago, a wedding party blocked the A3. Seven participants are now facing trial.
Seven defendants will have to answer to the Düsseldorf District Court this Friday, August 30, from 10 a.m. for the events surrounding a wedding procession on the A3 motorway that took place more than five years ago. The case caused a sensation at the time as the “mother of all wedding processions.”
Collective coercion: Participants of the wedding procession blocked the motorway
The participants of a wedding party are said to have blocked the Autobahn 3 near Ratingen on 22 March 2019 in the direction of Cologne. They come from Neukirchen-Vluyn and Kamp-LintfortAmong them is the 37-year-old groom at the time. The Düsseldorf public prosecutor’s office accuses the 30 to 41-year-old men of joint coercion.
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According to the prosecution, the men had blocked all lanes and shoulders with several sports cars and other vehicles, thereby slowing down the following traffic. One car was parked across the road, another was said to have turned in circles on the highway in front of the bride’s vehicle and burned a round skid mark (“donut”) into the asphalt.
Shots in the air: One of the accused is said to have had a weapon
One of those involved is said to have fired a pistol into the air during the incident. The 37-year-old is accused of violating the weapons law. A 30-year-old is said to have been driving without a driver’s license.
The regional court referred the case to the district court. The prosecution is based not only on numerous witness statements but also on photos and videos of the motorway blockade that the defendants are said to have taken on the day of the crime. The trial has been postponed several times.