Burgenland driver held in custody after Vienna chase

A 50-year-old man from Burgenland has been placed in pretrial detention after a pursuit in Vienna that ended when a police officer shot at one of his car’s tyres, the Burgenland State Police Directorate confirmed to ORF Burgenland on Saturday.

The man, from the Neusiedl am See district, was driving a car registered in Hungary and has been in custody since Friday. During the escape, he allegedly caused several accidents involving property damage, and a police officer was injured.

The pursuit began on Wednesday in Vienna’s Floridsdorf district after the man collided with a taxi. When he saw a patrol car approaching the scene, he accelerated and drove away. Police followed him, and the lengthy, turbulent chase ended only after the shot was fired.

The man was arrested and reported for resisting public authority and other offences. It remained unclear why he fled from police. Further investigations are under way.