The Brussels police officer involved in the controversial death of Adil Charrot – the 19-year-old who died in a collision with a police car in Brussels during the 2020 lockdown – will not have to appear in court, the Council Chamber decided.
The Council Chamber said that there are "insufficient indications" that the officer made a mistake and therefore caused Charrot's death.
On 10 April 2020, he died during a police chase in Anderlecht. During a Covid-19 police at the time, Charrot fled on his scooter. However, he was hit head-on by a police car driving in the opposite direction, killing him immediately. There were also multiple reports of racist remarks made by the officer behind the wheel before and after the incident.
The other two police officers who were involved in the pursuit do not have to appear in court either. The family can still appeal the decision.
Clearly visible
The Public Prosecutor's Office and the police placed responsibility on Charrot, saying he drove too fast and the front light on his scooter did not work – meaning the police officer in the approaching car could not avoid him. An initial expert report (made by an expert appointed by the investigating judge) confirmed that thesis.
However, the family appointed a traffic expert who came to very different conclusions, De Standaard reports. According to the expert, there was no reliable way to determine how fast Charrot was driving. Additionally, Charrot drove in the middle of the road, making him clearly visible to oncoming traffic, including the approaching police car.
The police file also shows that shortly after the collision, the officer said on the police radio that he had been looking for a way to "block the road."
Additionally, the damage to the colliding police car indicates that there had indeed been an attempt to cut off the scooter, the expert report found. Blockades such as these are "strongly discouraged" by the police oversight Committee P for being "too dangerous."
Credit: Belga / Jens Theys
On top of this, fresh complaints against the officer involved came to light on Monday. It concerns complaints of racism, sexism and boasting about Charrot's death.
These complaints follow a previous round of allegations in May 2023, when a letter signed by 18 police officers of the same unit denounced their colleague's "xenophobic, racist and sexist behaviour towards members of GIG3 [the police unit]".
Most significant to the 'Adil Affair' was the fact that the officer reportedly boasted about being responsible for the young man's death, saying he had "taken one off the street." The letter's signatories believe repeated comments of this nature constitute "serious offences" and merit legal proceedings.
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In January 2024, the man was transferred to traffic control where, according to police chief Jurgen De Landsheer, he posed less of a problem. However, five colleagues from traffic control have come forward to denounce the officer's continued misconduct.
"This inspector has no business being a police officer," they stated. "He creates a climate of terror in his department. He flaunts his racism and behaves intolerably towards his female colleagues."
The man has since been provisionally suspended from the force.
