The Brussels indictment chamber on Wednesday ordered the referral of three police officers to the police court to answer for manslaughter in the case of a deadly chase. In 2017, Ouassim and Sabrina, two young people traveling on motorcycles in Brussels, died following hitting a vehicle while trying to escape a police check.
The death of Ouassim and Sabrina occurred on May 9, 2017 on Avenue Louise in Brussels, following a road accident. At around 9.30 p.m., a police patrol driving around Place Poelaert noticed a motorcyclist with a passenger who was driving recklessly. She decided to chase him. Two other patrols arrived as reinforcements. Shortly following, the motorcyclist crashed into a police vehicle which had crossed his road to arrest him. Ouassim Toumi, 24, was killed instantly. His passenger, 20-year-old Sabrina El Bakkali, died in hospital later that night.
According to the families of the victims, this chase, initiated because of two alleged traffic violations, was illegal because it was unnecessary and disproportionate. For the Brussels public prosecutor’s office, the only person responsible for the accident was the driver of the scooter.
In August 2021, the council chamber, following the arguments of the lawyers for the families of the victims, considered that there were sufficient charges to indict three of the police officers involved, for manslaughter. The prosecution then appealed and the indictment chamber confirmed the decision last February. It then had to decide whether or not to refer the defendants to the trial judge. On Wednesday, she ordered their referral to the police court.
