Offenburg (dpa / lsw) - After suspected bicycle thefts in the Ortenau district and a dramatic chase with the police, investigators have made a whole series of allegations against a man who has since been arrested. The 24-year-old is accused of, among other things, theft as an accomplice, bodily harm, a banned car race and driving without a driver's license, as the public prosecutor's office in Offenburg announced on Tuesday on request. A 19-year-old, who is accused of complicity in theft, was also taken into custody.
Officials tracked down the two men on Saturday when bicycle thefts were reported at two swimming pools in the Ortenau district. The chase was heading south, police said.
Police officers shot the tires of the getaway vehicle as it headed towards the officers near Sasbach (Emmendingen district) after stopping. The fugitive men were then arrested before they reached the nearby German-French border - their van had previously collided with a police vehicle. Six high-quality bicycles were found in the suspect's van, including pedelecs, the police reported. Pedelecs are electric bicycles in which an electric drive only supports the driver when he pedals himself.
