A member of an urban gang was sentenced to 15 months in prison on Monday by the Walloon Brabant Criminal Court for shooting fireworks rockets at police and fire fighters.
He was one of eight gang members prosecuted for 'armed rebellion' in connection with the incident, which occurred on the night of 31 December 2021 to 1 January 2022 in Louvain-la-Neuve.
One of the defendants was acquitted while the others received suspended sentences of 12, 15 and 18 months.
On the night in question, police officers received a call from Lauzelle District in Louvain-la-Neuve informing them that rubbish bins were burning in the public space. However, it was an ambush: the fire had been set with petrol and the bins laid out to block the road. When they arrived, the police and firefighters were bombarded with fireworks.
The intensity of the attack was such that they could not leave their vehicles without being injured. Police from the neighbouring zones of Wavre, Orne-Thyle, la Mazerine and Ardennes brabançonnes had to rush to the scene as back-up.
Seven young people were arrested on the spot, including some whose mobile phones were being tapped – unknown to them – under an investigation into drug trafficking.
The two cases were examined together by the court at several hearings. In addition to the prison sentences handed down on Monday for armed rebellion, several of the young people were given work sentences for the drug-related offences.
