Hamburg court hears murder case against 18-year-old Afghan over fatal police chase crash

The accident site at Kennedy Bridge at the end of January this year. Source: Fabian Höfig/NEWS5/dpa

A sports car crashes into the Hamburg Kennedy Bridge, killing a man. An 18-year-old Afghan now faces charges — the court is examining the street racing case as a deliberate use of the car as a weapon.

A murder trial stemming from a risky chase that resulted in a death is continuing behind closed doors. The verdict will most likely be announced publicly, said presiding Judge Anne Meier-Göring this morning. At the start of the trial before the Hamburg Regional Court, the indictment was first read out before the decision was made.

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The reason for the closed-door proceedings is that the defendant was only a few weeks past his 18th birthday at the time of the fatal accident. The case is being heard before the juvenile chamber. The defendant is charged with, among other things, murder, attempted murder, dangerous bodily harm, and an illegal motor vehicle race resulting in death.

Anyone who, as a reckless street racer, kills a person with their car can, under certain conditions, be convicted of murder. This was decided by the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe in January 2019.

What Happened at the End of January?

The young man is alleged to have been driving a sports car in Hamburg in the early morning hours of late January under the influence of drugs and without a driver's license. A 35-year-old acquaintance was in the passenger seat. When police attempted to stop him for a traffic check, according to the public prosecutor's office, he instead accelerated and sped through Hamburg to avoid a possible penalty.

According to the indictment, the adolescent accelerated his car to top speed, ran red lights, drove rapidly into gaps in moving traffic, and had to jerkily avoid other cars. The teenager, born in Afghanistan, accepted that he endangered pedestrians and cyclists and that people could die in a collision.

Fatal Collision on Kennedy Bridge

At the height of Kennedy Bridge that Saturday morning, he lost control of his car at a traffic island and collided with an oncoming van. His passenger died shortly afterward despite resuscitation efforts and emergency surgery. The defendant was also critically injured in the accident. The van driver escaped with minor injuries but, according to reports, still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The defendant will testify extensively during the now non-public proceedings, his defense attorney announced. "He will fully address the matter." In doing so, he will also speak in detail about his living conditions, his past, and his future.

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