PRATO – They force the municipal roadblock and escape at breakneck speed to Quarrata.
It happened last night, Saturday 29 June at 1.45am, when a patrol of motorcyclists from the Prato Municipal Police ordered a Renault Clio to stop as it was driving at very low speed near the public gardens with two men on board; the driver, instead of stopping, fled with the vehicle at high speed and in the wrong direction in the Soccorso area, then on the Declassata towards Pistoia where the fleeing car was speeding at over 180km/h, pursued by two patrol cars that the driver tried to ram and send off the road on several occasions.
The chase continued in the Quarrata area where the car carried out risky overtaking and maneuvers against traffic, even crossing a private garden.
The race lasted almost 20 kilometers, ending in Selva Bassa, where the car’s occupants, now hunted, abandoned the car and attempted to escape on foot through the fields, but were caught and stopped by the officers, who in the meantime had also alerted the local Carabinieri via the central station.
The two men, of North African origin, were found to be illegal immigrants and had previous convictions for drug dealing; the driver also did not have a license and was found to be intoxicated.
Detained one night in the municipal security rooms, the two were reported for resisting in connection with the dangerous escape they carried out and now risk up to 5 years in prison. The car was seized and the dozens of violations committed for dangerous driving were contested, amounting to over 1000 euros in fines.
“Our municipal police force demonstrates great competence and ability in controlling the territory every day – states the mayor Ilaria Bugetti – I am proud of the work that is carried out daily in many sectors with quality, high specialization and constant commitment. It is the contribution that our municipal police force gives to city security to help the carabinieri, police, financial police and in general all the police forces to guarantee our citizens the tranquility to which they are entitled. It is our task to support it by strengthening its staff and equipment and asking the government, which has exclusive competence on security, to do the same with its own police forces because that is what Prato deserves. For this reason we want to do even more than what we are responsible for by strengthening the patrol service of the volunteer associations in the most complicated areas coordinated by the municipal police. It has proven to work and to be appreciated by the population”.
