On the night of Saturday (20.8.), a previously unknown person threw two manhole covers and stones from a bridge onto the A7 autobahn near Hildesheim. With devastating consequences.
A manhole cover hit a moving vehicle and smashed through the windshield. The 52-year-old driver was seriously injured, the 43-year-old passenger suffered life-threatening injuries, as reported by the German press agency dpa. According to the police, the passenger is now out of danger. On the northbound oncoming lane, a second manhole cover and stones damaged at least four vehicles.
Suspect known to the authorities
During the rescue operation and the subsequent securing of evidence by forensic technology, the motorway between Hanover and Kassel (motorway triangle Hanover-South and Hildesheim-Drispenstedt) was closed in both directions. There were sometimes significant traffic jams.
After a short manhunt, the police were able to identify a 50-year-old man from the Hildesheim district who was arrested as a suspect. On Sunday, a magistrate issued the arrest warrant for attempted murder.
"Inner Voices"
According to the "Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung", the man is known to the authorities. He was sentenced to one year in prison in 2016 for several crimes (theft, property damage). According to the report, "inner voices" ordered him to commit the crimes. Even then he had stolen manhole covers. He had stolen the heavy manhole cover for his current crime in an industrial area.
Conclusion
Within a few hours, the police were able to identify a suspect who had thrown two manhole covers onto the A7 motorway. A car was hit, seriously injuring the occupants. An arrest warrant for attempted murder was issued against a 50-year-old suspect.
