Dubai motorist jailed for trying to run over policeman

Dubai: An Emirati driver was sentenced to one year in jail for endangering the lives of two policemen who tried to seize his vehicle over engine modifications.

A Dubai Court of First Instance heard a 24-year-old Emirati policeman testify that in November 2019, he was patrolling on Jumeirah Road past midnight with his colleague, when he saw a four-wheel-drive vehicle creating a very loud noise.

He turned on the siren on the police patrol car, stopped the vehicle and asked the Emirati defendant to present his driving licence and registration. “I told him that he committed a traffic offence by making a loud noise, modifying the car’s engine and by having heavy tinting on the window glasses. He admitted that he had no permission to modify the engine. I told him that we would have to seize his vehicle,” the Emirati policeman stated.

The policeman asked the 23-year-old defendant to turn off the engine and went in front of the car to check the plate number. The defendant then tried to run over the policeman. “I was almost run over by the defendant, but managed to move away quickly. The vehicle hit my left hand and the defendant escaped,” he added.

The two policemen then chased the defendant until they reached Al Wasl Road. “We drove side by side and I asked him to pull over, but he swerved suddenly on us and hit our patrol vehicle,” the policeman added. The two policemen then monitored the defendant from a distance until he reached home. They then called for backup to arrest him.

During interrogation, the defendant admitted to crashing into the police patrol vehicle and causing damages to it.

Dubai Public Prosecution has charged the defendant with physically assaulting the policeman, endangering the lives of the two policeman and damaging public property [the police patrol vehicle]. The damages have been estimated to be Dh4,574.