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Bus thief races through North Rhine-Westphalia: chase on the highways!
A 21-year-old steals two buses in Baden-Württemberg and flees from the police on motorways in North Rhine-Westphalia. Investigations are ongoing.
Bus thief races through North Rhine-Westphalia: chase on the highways!
What an incredible incident happened in North Rhine-Westphalia! A 21-year-old man took a public bus twice in the night from Thursday to Friday, in Baden-Württemberg. The name for it is not charming, but the police are investigating and suspect that the young man had already been on a thieving spree before. According to the information from Süddeutsche.de The first bus was stolen from the depot in Ludwigsburg during the night and ended up damaged in Pforzheim.
On Friday morning, the man grabbed the second bus from the same depot and made his way to Greven in Münsterland. A passer-by noticed the driver's unsafe driving style and immediately alerted the police. The officers quickly sent out a search, but the driver refused to be stopped and raced across several highways, ignoring red lights and even driving against the direction of travel rnd.de reported.
From Greven to Amsterdam
The high-speed chase took the thief from Greven to Münster, then onto the A1 towards Bremen and finally onto the A30 towards Amsterdam. It caused a lot of damage: other vehicles were hit, and crash barriers and traffic signs were not spared. The police were forced to close some streets and motorway entrances to avoid endangering other road users. The escape finally ended shortly after the Ibbenbüren-West junction, where the bus was stopped.
The driver was arrested with minor injuries and is now in a psychiatric hospital according to a judge's order. Under the eyes of the investigating police officers, the question arose: What is behind this shocking act? The value of the two stolen buses is around 150,000 euros, which makes the incident even more astonishing. It remains to be seen what the perpetrator's background and motives were, and the police are continuing to examine all the details and the total amount of damage.
Crime in context
Seen in a larger context, this is not the only incident dominating the headlines. According to the police crime statistics (PKS), the development of crime in Germany is difficult to assess. Statistics show a decline in crime of 1.7% to around 5.84 million cases in 2024. The main reason for this is fewer cannabis crimes as a result of partial legalization, which dates back to April 1, 2024. But the increase in crimes that affect people's sense of security casts a shadow over these figures, as on Statista is to be read.
The most common crimes in 2024 were thefts as well as property and counterfeit crimes, which also contribute to social uncertainty. In this sense, the incident with the stolen bus is further proof that crime is part of everyday life even in tranquil North Rhine-Westphalia. It remains to be hoped that the ongoing investigations will quickly bring clarity and citizens can regain a feeling of security.