Judgments - E-scooter thrown off bridge: Six years in prison
After throwing an e-scooter from a bridge onto a federal highway, a 44-year-old man has been sentenced to six years in prison. The Berlin district court found the defendant guilty of attempted murder and dangerous interference with road traffic on Tuesday. He had thrown a 29-kilogram device onto a three-lane road in Berlin-Friedrichsfelde out of anger at electric scooters standing around. The throw was "cross dangerous", said the presiding judge.
It was 9.10 a.m. on June 12, 2023, when the German defendant grabbed an e-scooter from a rental company on the Gensinger Bridge and threw it onto the road. According to the investigation, a car driver was only able to prevent a collision by braking hard and swerving. The accused stood with his back to the three-lane road and threw the scooter. He had acted maliciously, according to the court. "The fall of the scooter was absolutely unforeseeable."
The 44-year-old was aware at the time of the throw that in the event of a collision with a vehicle or another collision resulting from an evasive maneuver, it could have resulted in a fatal accident for the occupants, according to the indictment. He had resigned himself to this. The man had accepted personal injury and damage to property. Two weeks after the incident, the 44-year-old was arrested. He has been in custody since then. The police and public prosecutor's office announced at the time that he had been identified as a suspect in particular through the analysis of DNA traces. The trained bricklayer has already made several criminal appearances. During the trial, he explained that he had "wanted to make a statement", but had "made sure that nothing would happen" before throwing the object. He regrets the act.
With the verdict, the court essentially followed the request of the public prosecutor, who had demanded six years and nine months in prison. The defense lawyer had pleaded for a suspended sentence for dangerous interference with road traffic. His client had acted spontaneously, the mental state of the then unemployed man was desolate and he had previously consumed drugs. According to the lawyer, the incident was not an attempted homicide. The verdict is not yet final.
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The incident occurred on a main road in Berlin-Friedrichsfelde, highlighting the potential dangers of such criminal acts on city streets. This incident underscores the importance of upholding justice in processes related to criminality. Additionally, the use of an e-scooter in this case illustrates how technology can be misused, leading to serious consequences.
Source: www.stern.de
