A 17-year-old has turned himself in as the driver involved in a fatal car chase this weekend, which resulted in a crash that cost the lives of two young children, aged 4 and 8.
Following Saturday's car accident in which two children who were seated in the back of their stepfather’s car died, a 17-year-old reported himself to the police in the French border town of Tourcoing on Sunday evening, claiming he was driving the other car involved, according to RTBF.
The deadly accident happened after the two drivers got into an earlier collision on a large parking lot in Dottignies, a suburb of Mouscron, when the 17-year-old reportedly hit the car of the other man, whose two stepchildren were sitting in the back.
According to reports, the stepfather tried to exchange information with the other driver, but the latter fled the scene, after which the former started a pursuit.
Related News
- Prosecutor asks official report for Vlaams Belang leader's pepper spray on TV
- Two men questioned about car chase that killed two children
During the chase, however, the stepfather was run off the road and crashed into a lamppost. The two children in the car died instantly, and the driver was seriously injured. The other car fled the scene, once again.
On Sunday evening, a patrol from the Tourcoing’s special brigade arrested a first suspect, aged 25, at his workplace in Roncq, in the interests of the investigation. The vehicle, which was towed and impounded on the same night, also belonged to him.
By Monday, two suspects had been arrested, and were questioned by the police in France for their involvement in the accident, according to the Walloon press.
Since then, the relatives of the victims have also been questioned.
Additionally, in Belgium, the public prosecutor of Tournai-Mons opened an investigation for deliberate obstruction of traffic and involuntary manslaughter with hit-and-run.
The investigating judge of Tournai, Christine Dierick, refused to comment on the case on Monday evening.
Lauren Walker
The Brussels Times
