Fatal accident with wrong-way driver might be linked with Roosendaal shooting
The wrong-way driver and his two passengers that caused a fatal collision on the A16 near Prinsenbeek on Sunday night might have been involved in a shooting incident in Roosendaal earlier in the evening, the police said. Three people were killed and three injured in the collision.
The wrong-way driver, a 33-year-old man from Tilburg, crashed a Seat into an Opel on the A16 near Prinsenbeek at around 11:15 p.m. The driver of the Opel, a 54-year-old man from Rotterdam, died in the crash. His two passengers, a 14-year-old girl and her 51-year-old mother from Antwerp, were injured. They have been taken to a hospital for treatment. Their dog also didn’t survive the crash.
In the other car, the one that drove into oncoming traffic, the 33-year-old driver and a 17-year-old boy from Harreveld died. The third occupant, a 19-year-old from Drunen, was seriously injured and taken to hospital. The police found a firearm in the car.
The police believe the three people in the wrong-way car were involved in a shooting on Burgerhoutsestraat in Roosendaal at around 11:00 p.m. A 19-year-old local was injured in the shooting. He was hospitalized for treatment.
The police found no suspects at the scene of the shooting but did get a description of a car that may have been involved. A patrolling police car spotted the vehicle on the A58 between Roosendaal and Breda and gave chase. But they soon lost sight of the car, which sped off with no lights on. Another police unit encountered the vehicle on the A58 towards Breda but also lost track of it.
“Shortly afterward, the suspicious vehicle drove in the wrong direction on the A16 with fatal consequences,” the police said. The police vehicles stopped their chase when the car started driving into oncoming traffic on the highway, according to the police.
The police registered the 19-year-old from Drunen as a suspect and will interrogate him as soon as it is medically possible.
The police are investigating the shooting and the fatal accident. Because a police chase preceded the crash, the Rijksrecherche is also investigating. The department handles internal investigations at the police and other government services.
