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Fuel-Theft Suspect Held in Pretrial Detention After Injuring Three Gendarmes in Moselle

The case now goes to an immediate trial under France’s fast-track process for suspects caught in the act.

Overview

  • Gendarmes said Tuesday the man in his forties was placed in pretrial detention and scheduled for an immediate hearing on Wednesday.
  • The suspect was seen on surveillance cameras siphoning diesel from two heavy trucks at a transport company’s lot in Folkling around 10:30 p.m. on March 31.
  • During the attempt to stop him, he rammed a marked gendarmerie car with its lights on, fled on foot, and was found hours later at Saint-Avold hospital, where he was taken into custody.
  • Three gendarmes were injured in the collision, with doctors prescribing three days of medical leave for a head injury and one day each for ankle and knee injuries.
  • Investigators seized the suspect’s vehicle, two jerricans filled with diesel, a siphoning device, and several empty containers, and the Sarreguemines prosecutor opened a case for an offense committed in the act.