The fact that three residents of The Hague died last week after their car crashed into a tree during a police pursuit cannot be blamed on the officers who were chasing the car. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced this on Wednesday concluded. “The officers cannot be blamed for the fact that the driver lost control and crashed into a tree.”
During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, December 4, officers noticed that a car was driving too fast through The Hague. There was no response to a police stop sign, the Public Prosecution Service writes. The officers then decided to chase the car. The driver crashed into a tree on the Bezuidenhoutseweg, causing the car to catch fire. A 20-year-old and a 21-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man were killed. A 21-year-old woman was injured.
Afterwards, the National Criminal Investigation Department conducted an investigation, as is standard practice in the case of deaths or serious injuries involving the police. The officers involved acted correctly during the pursuit, the Public Prosecution Service writes based on the criminal investigation. “There was a valid reason for the pursuit and based on the images and the statements of the officers, the preliminary conclusion is that they kept sufficient distance.”
The fact that the Public Prosecution Service is already releasing the investigation results is because of “the severity of the incident and the commotion that this incident has caused for everyone involved.”
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Three dead in accident after police chase in The Hague
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