Warsaw. Accident on Łazienkowska route. Three temporarily arrested. “The perpetrator is elusive”

– Yesterday, procedural activities were underway with the men who were detained near Torwar, immediately after the incident. They are Polish citizens – said Piotr Antoni Skiba, spokesman for the District Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw, at a conference on Tuesday.

He said that the men were charged with obstructing the proceedings and failing to provide assistance to the victims of the case, as well as aiding and abetting. – They were questioned on Monday and gave their statements. They did not admit to committing the acts they were accused of – added prosecutor Skiba.

On Monday evening, applications were submitted to the court for the temporary arrest of Mikołaj N., Damian J. and Maciej O.

– I have just received information that one of the suspects has been placed under temporary arrest. We are waiting for the remaining court decisions to be announced – said the spokesman for the Warsaw District Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday after 2 p.m., adding that the prosecutor indicated that there was an obvious, real fear of tampering with the case.

After 4 p.m., the prosecutor announced that the court had accepted the motions and ordered temporary arrest for the remaining two detainees, and had also agreed to a 14-day arrest for the perpetrator of the accident.

He also informed that as a result of the preparatory proceedings, the perpetrator of the incident was identified – the person who was driving the vehicle. – A decision was also issued against this person to present charges of causing a fatal accident in connection with driving under a driving ban and fleeing the scene – he added.

– The perpetrator is elusive. He fled the scene immediately before the police arrived. He was motivated to do so by three detained persons. A motion for temporary arrest has also been filed against the perpetrator – informed prosecutor Skiba.

At 5 p.m. on portal X, the prosecutor's office reported that the wanted man is Łukasz Tomasz Żak. The man is wanted on a warrant. He is 26 years old and lives in Warsaw. “People with any information about the whereabouts of the wanted man are asked to contact officers of the Warsaw Police Headquarters in person or by phone, tel. 47 7237657, 47 7237893, emergency number 112 or the nearest Police unit,” the Warsaw police officers appealed.

– According to the information we have, there are other people involved in this case who obstructed the proceedings, helped the suspect evade justice, misled law enforcement agencies and provided him with assistance – he added.

He emphasized that in this case, prosecutors and the police encountered exceptional, ruthless obstruction and abetment, which aimed to not identify the perpetrator and then make it difficult to arrest him. – This is an exception when it comes to the proceedings that prosecutors have encountered in Warsaw in recent years – he assessed. He noted that these people were aware that the man should not have been driving a car, he could not leave the scene of the accident, and yet they encouraged him to do so.

He stressed that the people who were charged not only failed to provide help, but also made it impossible to provide help to one of the passengers who was wronged – they even chased away people who wanted to help.

– This is all in the case file. If the files could speak, there would be no need for a prosecutor in this case – the spokesman noted.

The wanted perpetrator of the accident had multiple convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol, several times for driving without a license, for fraud and possession of drugs. Last year, he was banned from driving motor vehicles.

Prosecutor Skiba noted that the prosecutor's office knows where, at what time and in whose company the suspects spent time shortly before the incident.

– We have recorded a lot of behaviours that indicate the criminal nature of the behaviours and omissions of these people and others who are still either unidentified or are wanted – he explained.

He said that before the accident, a group of about 8-10 people were drinking alcohol in one of the Śródmieście clubs near Konstytucji Square. Then they decided to move to a dance club in Praga. These people got into two different cars. They were driving in close proximity to each other and that's when the tragedy happened.

It is not yet known at what speed the car was traveling; an expert has been appointed to secure computer data from the incident.

The spokesman also noted that the video published on social media, which was in the possession of law enforcement agencies, contributed to shortening the time of the investigation into how the incident occurred and who caused it.

The three men arrested face up to 5 years in prison, and the perpetrators face up to 12 years.

According to prosecutor Skiba, the condition of the woman who was a passenger in the Volkswagen is still very serious.

The accident happened on the night from Saturday to Sunday. on the Łazienkowska Route on the road towards Saska Kępa.

The portal vitrina.pl (editors are Belarusians living in Poland) has obtained a recording of the accident. The incident was recorded by a camera in the car of a taxi driver from Uzbekistan.

What can be seen in the film? A Ford passenger car is moving in the middle lane of the road. Suddenly, at the height of Torwar, a speeding white Volkswagen appears in the frame, which hits the back of the Ford with enormous force. It is pushed against the barriers. The driver, who witnessed the tragedy, gets out of the car and runs.

In a tragic accident on Trasa Łazienkowska, a 37-year-old man who was driving a car with his wife and two children (they were sitting in the back seat) died. The rest of the family was taken to hospital.

There were five people in the Volkswagen. The woman in the car was taken to hospital in serious condition. Three men were unharmed, they were drunk. The search for the fourth is ongoing.