Police in Kongsvinger were holding a 24-year-old man in custody Sunday night, suspected of stealing a car and killing its owner after she tried to stop the theft and landed on the hood of the car as he sped off. He refused to stop, ultimately hurling her off the vehicle as he tried to get away.
The dramatic, brutal car theft shocked both police and eye witnesses in the relatively small town in southeastern Norway.
The drama began Saturday morning, when the owner of a grey Audi stationwagon parked her car and left its motor running as she withdrew money from an automated teller machine (minibank) in downtown Kongsvinger.
A man suddenly appeared and got into her car, intending to steal it. She reacted by running front of the car in an effort to get him to stop.
Instead she wound up on the hood of the car and he accelerated, driving an estimated 600 meters, according to witnesses, until he swerved and she flew off the hood. Her body hit a road sign with such an impact that it broke off. She later died at Kongsvinger Hospital.
Witnesses could describe the car thief, who kept driving at what one described as a “crazy” rate of speed. He disappeared, but police found the car in a forest Saturday night and he was arrested Sunday morning. He reportedly has a police record and is linked to a group of criminal drug addicts in the area.
The victim was a 46-year-old woman with three children.
Views and News staff
