A motorcycle policeman was seriously injured Thursday night in a collision with a wrong-way driver on the A7 near Hoogkerk. The suspect was arrested shortly afterwards at the Hoendiep in Groningen, where he was riding a children’s bicycle.
The police wanted to check the 27-year-old from Groningen shortly after midnight. But the man didn’t answer and ran away. In doing so, he rammed several police cars and drove onto the wrong side of the road from Hoogkerk to Groningen.
Shortly after the police broke up the pursuit for safety reasons, the motorist collided with a motorcycle policeman at the exit of the A7, who happened to be there. The badly wounded officer ended up on the edge and then remained there for some time. No one witnessed the collision, police say.
About a kilometer away, the suspect abandoned his car and fled into the water. In the meantime, the carabinieri had resumed the chase and closed off the area around the vehicle. The officers searched for the Groningen man with a police helicopter, among other things.
Finally, at 1.20am, the suspect was seen by a Hoendiep officer. There he rode a probably stolen children’s bike. After officers fired warning shots, the man was arrested.
The motorcycle officer was taken to hospital with broken bones. The suspect is in custody and is being questioned.
