High speed chase ends in collision with cop car; car thief arrested

The police arrested a 33-year-old German man in a stolen car on the N280 near Roermond after a high speed chase on Thursday morning. The chase ended when the stolen car crashed into the back of a police car, and both vehicles came to a damaged halt, the police said in a statement.

Following a report from the German police about an ATM bombing in Heinsberg, the Dutch police took position on the N280 near the German border. At around 4:45 a.m., the officers saw a German Audi driving towards Roermond at high sped and gave chase.

The Audi driver sped up, reaching speeds above 200 kilometers per hour, according to the police. At Horn, the Audi suddenly left the highway, turned around and drove back towards Germany. The police managed to catch up to the Audi just past Roermond, at Maalbroek. The police drove in front of the car, but the driver had no intention to stop and crashed into the police car from behind at high speed, the police said.

Both vehicles came to a halt. The Audi driver got out of the car and fled on foot, but the police caught up with him quickly and arrested him. A number of warning shots were fired, the police said.

Investigation revealed that the Audi had been stolen in Germany on Wednesday night. "The owner had not yet realized that his car was gone and was very surprised when German colleagues showed up at his door", the police said. No connection to the ATM bombing could be found, according to the police.

The officers who were in the police car the suspect crashed into were checked over by paramedics, but were not injured in the collision. They will still file charges of attempted manslaughter against the driver.