Escape from a taxi driver transporting drugs resulted in a head-on collision; a subsequent pileup fatally killed a truck driver
A police chase on Rodovia Presidente Dutra (BR-116), in Piraí, in , ended in tragedy in the early hours of this Thursday (23), with a truck driver dead and the total closure of the road in Serra das Araras, direction . The sequence of accidents began after a taxi driver, who was transporting drugs, disobeyed a PF order to stop and fled at high speed.
The case began around 1 am, when PF agents at a police checkpoint ordered a taxi coming from São Paulo to stop. The 41-year-old driver ignored the command and began to escape. During the chase, on the way down Serra das Araras, the driver invaded the opposite lane, towards São Paulo, and started traveling in the opposite direction.
The escape resulted in a head-on collision with another vehicle that was regularly traveling in its lane. After the crash, the taxi driver tried to escape on foot, but was captured by the police. Inside the taxi, agents seized approximately 65 kg of cocaine and 4 kg of skunk. The occupants of the other car that was hit were seriously injured.
Fatal pileup
Minutes after the first collision and due to the road being blocked, a second serious accident occurred. A pileup involving three trucks occurred at the end of the line of vehicles formed by the closure. The driver of one of the trucks was trapped in the wreckage and died at the scene, before help arrived.
The suspect, born in São Paulo, was arrested in the act and taken to the Federal Police Superintendence in Rio de Janeiro. He was charged with interstate drug trafficking and attempted murder with possible intent, for taking the risk of killing by driving the wrong way at high speed.
The road towards São Paulo was completely closed for rescue and forensic work, causing a traffic jam that reached 10 kilometers. The concessionaire that manages the highway implemented a two-way system on the road towards Rio de Janeiro to try to alleviate the flow of vehicles.
