Man in a critical condition as shots are fired in Brussels street after car chase
A car chase through the streets of the Brussels municipality of Schaarbeek in on Tuesday morning ended with one person being seriously injured after they were shot. On Tuesday morning the Brussels North Local Police Service gave chase to a car that had been flagged by the Judicial Authorities as a “vehicle of interest”.
The chase ended on the Vaderlandsplein in Schaarbeek. The driver was seriously injured when he was shot, the police say that his condition is critical.
The Brussels-North Local Police’s Spokeswoman Audrey Dereymaeker told journalist that "The Brussels-North Police Service intervened to check a car after it had received reports that the vehicle was involved in an ongoing criminal investigation. During the intervention a chase took place and shots were reported exchanged".
"The vehicle was intercepted around at 11:30 AM on the Vaderlandsplein in Schaarbeek. The driver of the vehicle was injured and was taken away aby ambulance. His condition is life-threatening. The passenger of the vehicle was taken to the police station. No police officer was injured", Ms Dereymaeker said.
According to witnesses, there was a big police presence in the area. The Rogierlaan, a major route crossing east to west through Schaarbeek and of which the Vaderlandsplein is a part, was closed to traffic for several hours after the incident.