Suche
Mein Konto
Bloody gang war: verdict against driver in Stuttgart clan conflict
In the Stuttgart area, the gang war between rival groups is escalating. A verdict in the case of a run-over victim is imminent.
Bloody gang war: verdict against driver in Stuttgart clan conflict
Things have been simmering in the Stuttgart area for over three years. Rival clans have become embroiled in a bitter gang war that has revealed many of the dark sides of organized crime. After more than 130 years in prison for supporters of these groups, another verdict is now pending. Next Wednesday at 3:00 p.m., a 25-year-old will be sentenced for running over his 31-year-old rival and causing life-threatening injuries. This incident happened about two years ago in Vaihingen, a district of Stuttgart. The defendant accelerated and ran over the victim at a speed of up to 40 mph (64 km/h) after he and his accomplices attacked the victim as she tried to escape.
What is particularly dramatic is the fact that the victim has been in a vegetative state since being run over and is unlikely to wake up. The defendant is accused of attempted murder. While the public prosecutor's office is demanding a prison sentence of ten years, the representative of the co-prosecution is pleading for 15 years for attempted murder. The defendant's lawyer, however, is demanding a maximum of nine years. Such tough conflicts are now the order of the day. According to t-online.de, there have been over 20 shootings in Stuttgart since the summer of 2022 alone, which poses immense challenges for the police, who speak of a “spiral of violence”.
Background of the conflicts
The conflict between the clans has a multi-ethnic dimension. One group is based in Stuttgart, while the other comes from the surrounding area. Most of the members of the conflict are between 18 and 28 years old. Andreas Stenger, head of the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office, reports that around 500 people once belonged to these clans, which are strongly linked to the gangster rap scene. The operation against this gang crime has been going on for years. The police are pursuing a multi-stage concept to curb the excesses, and various departments, including the LKA, are involved in the measures.
The danger to the general public is not considered to be acute, but the danger to bystanders from the weapons used cannot be completely ruled out. An incident in which a community of mourners was attacked with a hand grenade impressively underlines this. Ten people were injured in this attack in June 2023. Such escalations show the dramatic effects of gang warfare and raise questions about how to deal with organized crime, as the Spiegel reports in their reports thematised. The police are called upon and politicians must find solutions to get to the root of the problem.
The ongoing conflicts and the rapid increase in crime-related incidents in Stuttgart make it clear that the situation is a major issue not only in the city itself, but also in the wider surrounding area. Those responsible must act urgently to avoid further escalations and to ensure the safety of citizens.