Rhede (dpa / lnw) - Three men fled in their car through Rhede (Borken district) at up to 170 kilometers per hour after being surprised by an alarm system during a break-in. Among other things, they were made with the help of a police helicopter with a thermal imaging camera, the police said. The men had therefore smashed the window of a company with the rear of their car on Thursday night and thus got into the building. Apart from the key to a company car, which they probably wanted to steal, they were unable to steal anything.
Police officers noticed the three men's getaway car when they were on their way to the company because of the alarm that had been triggered, it said. The burglars escaped at speeds of up to 170 kilometers per hour. When escaping, the driver also drove through a red traffic light and wrongly onto a federal highway, so that a truck had to brake. The patrol initially lost sight of the car.
A police helicopter finally located the three men - who had left their car and fled on foot - using a thermal imaging camera, a police spokesman said. Two of the three men are aged 23 and 36.
