Pursuit at Germany-France Border After Turkish Migrant Steals Car With Disabled Child Inside

A Turkish migrant previously known to authorities is suspected of stealing a car with a disabled child inside and fleeing from Germany into France, hitting more than a dozen vehicles along the way, according to reports.

The harrowing incident unfolded just before 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon in Kehl, a border town in Germany on the Rhine River.

A woman parked her BMW at a train station for a quick errand, leaving the keys in the ignition and her 11-year-old disabled daughter in the back seat.

During her absence, a man jumped behind the wheel and sped off in the direction of France.

French police began pursuing the suspect after he crossed the Pont de l’Europe bridge into Strasbourg.

The suspect then crossed back into Germany via the Pierre-Pfimlin bridge, some 10 kilometers south of Strasbourg.

German police then picked up the chase, finally stopping the BMW and arresting the suspect at around 3:50 p.m. in the town of Kappel-Grafenhausen.

The suspect struck around 15 vehicles during the rampage, but no major damage or injuries were reported.

“He is a 44-year-old Turkish national, registered in France. It turned out that he was probably under the influence of narcotics,” Fdesouche reports.

“The 11-year-old girl was brought to safety by German police. She was not injured despite the ‘bold’ driving.”

The Turk is “known unfavorably by the German and French police,” according to Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace, which has removed or omitted any mention of the suspect’s nationality and immigration status.

He reportedly tested positive for cocaine and now faces charges of kidnapping, vehicle theft, driving without a license, endangering the lives of others, and damage to vehicles.

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