Drunken road pirate (19) flees from police and crashes into the facade of an apartment building: “He even lost a tire during a chase” (Domestic)

A 19-year-old road pirate from Deinze caused havoc last night when he crashed his BMW into the facade of an apartment building in Aartrijke (Zedelgem). The man had fled from the police in Ichtegem moments earlier. “He drove very recklessly on the road, at high speed and even lost a tire before the accident,” says Annemie Wittesaele of the Kouter police zone. The man had too much to drink and lost his driver’s license.

The facts started last night at 1.30 am in the Aartrijkestraat in Ichtegem. A police patrol from the Kouter zone was refueling when they suddenly saw the driver of a BMW exhibiting reckless driving on the road. The refueling had just ended when the BMW passed them and the police decided to chase the driver. What followed was a hellish ride.

Lost tape

“Our police team chased the BMW and discovered that the license plate on the car came from another vehicle,” says Annemie Wittesaele of the Kouter police zone. “Soon after, the driver started to increase his speed. Our crew turned on the flashing lights but the driver refused to stop. On the contrary, he increased his speed even further. The man then drove towards Aartrijke, where our team urged him several times to stop by activating the sirens and high beams. But the man then drove even faster until he almost lost control of his vehicle several times at a very high speed, over central reservations on the road. Pieces of tire even flew off the car several times until he suddenly lost an entire tire. The man then crashed his car into the facade of a house.” (Read more below the photo)

House propped up

In the center of Aartrijke, the road pirate drove straight ahead in a sharp bend, straight across a footpath, through a hedge, onto a terrace, after which the BMW crashed into the facade of an apartment building. The damage was extremely extensive. A window was completely shattered, the outer wall and woodwork were destroyed, there was damage to the roof and there was also havoc inside: the radiator, among other things, completely collapsed and had to be carried outside. The Torhout fire brigade had to shore up the building. “The driver was identified as a 19-year-old man from Deinze,” says Lien Vermeersch of the Het Houtsche police zone, to which Aartrijke belongs. “He was unharmed in the accident. We made the determinations about the accident ourselves.” The man was heavily under the influence of alcohol and was given a series of citations. His driver’s license was suspended. (Read more below the photos)

Resident unharmed

An 82-year-old woman lives alone in the apartment. She may have been sleeping during the accident and was unharmed. Because the damage was mainly located at the front of the house, the house was not declared uninhabitable. Because there was a short circuit in the house due to electricity problems, the elderly woman spent the night with her neighbors. It is still unclear whether she will return later. Mayor Annick Vermeulen of Zedelgem was notified, but the municipality does not have to look for temporary shelter for the time being. The syndic and architect of the new-build apartment will visit later today.