Police fires shot at wild chase where Parkbrug ... (Antwerp)

A long police chase with speeds above 200 km / h ended on Sunday afternoon in Roederdelft in Merksem. A shot was fired at the car. Three occupants were arrested. During the pursuit, the Park Bridge, which connects Park Spoor Noord with the Eilandje, was also damaged. The bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Leien is therefore closed.

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An ANPR camera in the city of Antwerp reported shortly after 4 p.m. on Sunday that a signaled license plate had been detected. It was an Opel Insignia with French number plates. “Our teams wanted to check the car on which the driver fled,” said Sven Lommaert, spokesman for the Antwerp police zone. The Opel drove fast towards the Dutch border, but made a turn around in Stabroek to race back to Antwerp via the port area. “On the road, speeds of over 200 km / h were reached,” says Lommaert. From the air, the helicopter of the federal police provided assistance to the Antwerp police.

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In Roederdelft in Merksem, between the Albert Canal and Groenendaallaan, the fleeing car could eventually be brought to a halt, but a shot was fired for that. “When the car wanted to drive into our people, they fired a warning shot,” said Lommaert. A witness saw everything happen: “That car indeed wanted to break into the police,” says the man. “It seemed as if they wanted to shoot his tires first, but eventually a window was shot at the back of the car.” Nobody was injured.

Three occupants of the car were arrested by the police on the spot. It is not yet clear why they fled. “The car and the distance traveled will be examined,” says Lommaert.

Park bridge closed

During the pursuit, the Park Bridge, which connects Park Spoor Noord with the Eilandje, was also damaged. A police team thought it was possible to get to the chase. They caused great damage to the road surface. The bridge is temporarily closed to all traffic. The urban engineer will have to investigate the stability.