A young man in his 20s was sentenced on Thursday to a three-year suspended prison service by the Brussels Correctional Court for dragging a police officer several metres with his van.
The incident occurred at around 20:30 on 26 September at the intersection of roads towards Leuven and Mechelen. The junction was blocked due to a traffic accident. The young man from Zaventem became impatient and started repeatedly honking his horn.
When the police asked him to stop honking, he immediately became verbally aggressive. He refused to present his ID and tried to flee, dragging a police officer several metres and causing injuries. Another officer attempted to apprehend the young man, who continued to be aggressive. The suspect was finally subdued by force.
The prosecution denounced the violent actions of the young man and emphasised that the defendant had continued to deny the charges levelled at him. The prosecution said that several objective eye witnesses had corroborated the police officers' version of events.
"My client is a responsible young entrepreneur," the suspect's lawyers stated. "He honked because another car was driving in the opposite direction and almost caused a second accident. When he saw the police reacting aggressively, he attempted to defuse the situation by parking his car further away. He did not drag the officer with him, nor was he aggressive towards the other officers."
The court sided with the prosecution's version of events. The defendant was sentenced to three years in prison with a suspended sentence and must undergo therapy to address his aggression issues.
