Bavaria: Drunk driver charged over speed camera theft
October 4, 2019
A German man has been charged with various offenses after a drunken adventure on Thursday morning, German Unity Day, a national holiday in Germany.
Driving home from festivities at around 7 a.m., the young man reached 160 kmh (almost 100 mph) in a 100 kmh limit zone in the Bavarian district of Deggendorf, near the Czech border, according to a police press release.
After being flashed by a speed camera, the 32-year-old decided that his best course of action would be simply to steal the camera itself — and make good his escape.
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Unfortunately for him, this didn't quite go to plan. Rather than being stored "in the box," as he had apparently presumed, the information from the speed camera was instead electronically stored centrally.
Therefore, despite his quick-thinking theft, the police already knew the registration number of the 32-year-old's Audi.
Speed camera stored in the cellar
This meant that a police car was able to track down the young man within a few hours. Rather than giving himself up, the driver attempted to evade capture by accelerating off in his Audi. Pursuit by a police car swiftly followed.
After running a red light, the man was eventually stopped by the police.
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A breathalyzer found him to be over the legal alcohol limit and according to BR24, a Bavarian news site, a blood test also showed that he was under the influence of drugs.
In addition, officers discovered that he did not have a legal driving license.
After his arrest, the police searched his flat — and discovered the speed camera neatly stored in the cellar.
The young man has been charged with drink driving, driving without a license, speeding, running a red light — and, of course, theft. Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.