A chaotic pursuit through the heart of Prague ended with two men in custody last Friday after a driver without a license led police on a dangerous chase that nearly struck pedestrians.
The incident began on the afternoon of January 16, when city police attempted to pull over a Peugeot in Vodičkova Street for a routine traffic violation. Rather than stopping, the driver accelerated, sparking a multi-unit pursuit involving both municipal officers and the Czech Republic’s national police force.
For several minutes, the vehicle swerved through the city center, flouting nearly every traffic law in the book. According to police spokesperson Jan Rybanský, the driver sped through multiple red lights and drove against the flow of traffic. The most harrowing moments occurred when the vehicle mounted the sidewalk, forcing pedestrians to dive out of the way to avoid being hit.
The chase reached its violent conclusion at the intersection of Králodvorská and U Obecního domu, where the Peugeot slammed into two parked cars. The impact was forceful enough to eject the driver from the vehicle, but his attempt to flee on foot was short-lived. Officers from the Emergency Motorized Unit tackled and detained him seconds later.
While the driver was being apprehended, a second man—a passenger who had leaped from the moving car earlier in the chase—was tracked down and arrested in Vrchlického sady. Police later discovered why he was so eager to distance himself from the scene: he was already a wanted man on a national search register.
Investigators confirmed that the driver has never held a valid driver’s license. Although breathalyzer and drug tests returned negative results, the severity of his actions has led to serious legal consequences. He currently faces charges of public endangerment, a felony that carries a potential sentence of up to eight years in prison. He is also being held liable for damages caused to a police cruiser that was scraped during the pursuit.
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