Thursday, November 14, an ordinary road accident turned into a chase. An uncommon occurrence in the peaceful Pontois territory. It was 3 p.m. when two vehicles collided on the outskirts of the city center. The suspect does not stop and flees. Alerted, the Pons gendarmerie brigade set out to search for him, mobilizing two patrols. Quickly, the motorized platoon from Saintes will come as reinforcement. The vehicle was spotted by the police who tried to arrest the driver. But the man, on several occasions, refuses to comply. The owner is then identified. He is unfavorably known for theft and traffic offenses.
Escape on foot
A few minutes later, the car was finally found. No one driving. In the trunk, the gendarmes found a significant quantity of fuel: more than 200 liters distributed in around ten cans. The fugitive, hidden in a building, is spotted. At the sight of the police, he jumped from the first floor of the apartment in which he took refuge. He miraculously emerged unharmed and resumed his escape on foot. At 4:15 p.m., he will be arrested by the gendarmes who, “faced with a strong rebellion”, will use an electric pulse gun to stop him.
In June 2025 in court
The 28-year-old man, native and resident in Charente-Maritime, will end his dangerous journey in police custody at the Pons brigade. He is summoned to the Saintes court in June 2025. He risks up to five years in prison and a fine of 375,000 euros for all of his work: hit-and-run, driving despite a license suspension and despite administrative immobilization of the vehicle, driving while drunk (0.43 mg of alcohol, almost twice the authorized rate), lack of insurance, lack of technical inspection, false registration plates, rebellion and concealment of fuel. According to the gendarmerie, the theft of fuel, almost impossible to prove, could have been committed in recent days in the Saint-Porchaire sector.
