A prisoner from Mannheim takes a car driver hostage during a release. He later releases the woman and continues to flee. In the first accident, the kidnapper is unharmed, but then there is another incident in France.
A prisoner from Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, armed with a pistol, took a car driver hostage and died in a traffic accident in France after wandering around in changing vehicles. As prosecutors and police said, the 28-year-old kidnapped a 21-year-old at gunpoint on Tuesday when she got into her parked car in Mannheim. This turned into a war of nerves that lasted several hours.
According to the investigators, the kidnapper suddenly got into the car and forced the young woman at gunpoint to refuel her vehicle at a gas station. He then directed her onto Autobahn 5, where he released her at a service area south of Heidelberg and continued the journey alone in her car. From there, the victim then alerted the police.
While the officials launched a large-scale manhunt, in which a helicopter was also used, the man continued on the A5 to near Karlsruhe. There he caused an accident with several other cars about an hour after the kidnapping. However, he was unharmed.
Since his previous getaway car was badly damaged, according to the police, he threatened a first responder with his firearm and quickly took his vehicle. He continued his escape in the direction of France in the car before the emergency services arrived at the scene. In the neighboring country, he then caused another accident on Tuesday evening near the city of Nancy, about 200 kilometers from Mannheim, by driving head-on into an oncoming car. The 28-year-old was injured so badly that he died at the scene of the accident. The occupants of the other vehicle suffered minor injuries.
According to the police and public prosecutor's office, the kidnapper had last served a prison sentence in the so-called open prison in Mannheim prison. He was on an authorized release Tuesday afternoon.
