Police officers won't face charges in chase that left 3 dead, 1 hurt in The Hague
Prosecutors said they will not likely press charges against the police officers involved in the pursuit of a vehicle that crashed into a tree in The Hague, killing three people from the city. The early-morning incident on Dec. 4 left a fourth person seriously injured. She has since been released from the hospital.
"The officers were interviewed. Camera footage from the area was also reviewed, and the woman who survived the accident was interviewed. The results of the traffic accident analysis are still pending," the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Wednesday. "Based on the investigation thus far, the OM concludes that the officers involved acted appropriately during the pursuit."
The officers said they followed a speeding car at about 4:40 a.m. last Thursday, and waited a bit to see if the driver would start to slow down. They tried to stop the car on Fluwelen Burgwal, but the driver refused to pull over, leading to the pursuit.
A few hundred meters away, the driver lost control of the car and slammed into a tree on Bezuidenhoutseweg. The vehicle then caught fire. First responders managed to rescue a 21-year-old woman from The Hague from the vehicle, and she was transported to an area hospital.
The other three occupants, a 24-year-old man named Youssef who was driving, a 21-year-old woman named Mara, and a 20-year-old woman named Doris, were pronounced dead at the scene. They were identified by regional broadcaster Omroep West, which also reported that the injured woman was recovering at home.
"There was a valid reason for the pursuit, and based on the footage and the officers' statements, the preliminary conclusion is that they maintained sufficient distance. The officers cannot be held responsible for the driver losing control and crashing into a tree," the OM wrote in a statement.
The OM announced the initial results of an investigation by the Rijksreserche, the independent body tasked with examining all incidents where police officers may have played a role in civilian injuries and deaths. It often takes months for the Rijksreserche to submit a final report to the OM, followed by a period of review where prosecutors decide the best way forward.
Although the state of the investigation is preliminary, prosecutors are unlikely to pursue a criminal case against the police officers once a final report is submitted by the Rijksreserche. "Given the severity of the incident and the commotion it has caused for all involved, the OM is committed to providing clarity now," the authority stated.
Victims and surviving family members can still attempt to challenge the OM when they refuse to bring charges by starting an Article 12 procedure, when a court can force the office to prosecute a case. There has been a sharp increase in such attempts in recent years, particularly in 2025. By the end of November, roughly 1,900 Article 12 procedures were filed this year, compared to about 1,500 for the entirety of 2024.
Shortly after the accident, family members said they found it "indescribably unfair and incomprehensible" that the two young women were killed in the crash, victim support organization Namens de Familie wrote in a statement. Their "sudden death" happened "on a day that should have been a celebration," believed to be the women getting together for a birthday drink.
The injured woman was recovering physically, the organization said. "She is also very devastated and deeply saddened by the loss of her friends."
"The officers involved, the victims' relatives, and the woman who survived the accident have been informed by the OM of the results of the investigation," the authority said on Wednesday.
