The duty officer at the Zgorzelec County Police Headquarters received a report about the driver of an Audi who had hit a streetlamp and quickly driven away. The incident occurred on one of the streets in Zgorzelec, and the entire situation looked very serious. The streetlamp was damaged and fell near a woman with children who was walking there. Fortunately, no one was hurt, although the situation could have ended quite differently.
Police officers from the offences unit immediately took up the case and began gathering comprehensive evidence and identifying the driver. Their efforts led to the apprehension of the 27-year-old perpetrator, who will now answer for creating a danger to pedestrian safety in road traffic, failing to comply with road signs and overtaking at a pedestrian crossing.
Given the nature of the incident, the case was referred to court, where decisions concerning his further fate will ultimately be made. Due to a change in the applicable regulations that took place in January 2022, the court may impose a substantially higher fine than would have been possible in ticket proceedings.
However, the story does not end there, because the day after the streetlamp was damaged, officers from the Zgorzelec traffic police, while driving to work, noticed a hooded man beside it. It turned out that he was in the process of stealing parts of the lamp, and he was immediately detained. The 24-year-old told the officers that he could not resist the opportunity. The value of the stolen parts was estimated at nearly PLN 3,000.
The men may now face up to five years in prison for the crimes they committed, namely theft and property damage.