Szczecin. The driver hit a group of pedestrians. The prosecutor's office wants the proceedings to be discontinued

The District Prosecutor's Office in Szczecin announced the completion of the investigation into the case accident that occurred on March 1 this year.an application to discontinue the proceedings and refer the 33-year-old perpetrator to compulsory psychiatric treatment. In addition, the prosecutor requests a ban on driving all motor vehicles in land traffic (indefinitely) and “an order for the forfeiture of the car as an item used to commit a crime.” “The prosecutor (…) submitted to the District Court in Szczecin a request to discontinue the proceedings and apply a protective measure, in the form of stay in a psychiatric facility, to 33-year-old Grzegorz Ł., suspected of acting with the intention of taking the lives of many people and causing a disaster in land traffic, as a result of which one person died and 21 other people suffered various types of injuries,” she said.

The investigation was closed after taking evidence and taking into account the opinions of two expert psychiatrists and a psychologist. They diagnosed the suspect with a mental illness and concluded that at the time of committing the crime, due to the disease, he had lost “the ability to recognize the meaning of the act and control his behavior.” The expert opinions also confirmed that – due to the suspect's current mental condition – there is a high probability of repeat committing “similar prohibited acts” by him. That is why – according to the prosecutor's office – “it is advisable to apply a protective measure to Grzegorz Ł. in the form of staying in a closed psychiatric facility.” The spokesman for the District Prosecutor's Office in Szczecin, Prosecutor Łukasz Błogowski, explained that he was unable to determine the date when the prosecutor's office's request to discontinue the proceedings would be considered by the court. The spokesman for the prosecutor's office reminded that a preventive measure in the form of temporary arrest is being applied to Grzegorz Ł. until January 26, so another so-called detention hearing. Therefore, it is possible that the court will immediately consider the request to discontinue the investigation and send Grzegorz Ł. for compulsory treatment.

The accident occurred on the square. Rodła, one of the largest intersections in Szczecin. The driver of a passenger car drove into a group of pedestrians on a pedestrian crossing and on the sidewalk, and then, while escaping, caused a collision with three other cars on al. Liberation. Among the more than 20 injured, two people were in a critical condition and four in a serious condition.

The 33-year-old was detained by the police moments after the incident. He was charged with attempting to murder many people, causing a land traffic disaster, escaping from the scene of an accident and causing qualifying injuries under Art. 156 and art. 157 Penal Code The suspect admitted to committing the alleged crime and provided explanations.

In May, the prosecutor's office announced that one of the victims of the accident had died. The suspect faced life imprisonment.