German on Trial for Killing 5, Injuring 18 in Car Rampage

German on Trial for Killing 5, Injuring 18 in Car Rampage
A court official checks the handcuffs of the defendant in a courtroom in Trier, Germany, on Aug. 19, 2021. (Harald Tittel/dpa via AP)
The Associated Press
8/19/2021
Updated:
8/19/2021

BERLIN—A 51-year-old man has gone on trial in Germany for a vehicle rampage that killed five people in the western city of Trier last year.

The defendant, a local resident identified only as Bernd W. due to German privacy laws, was indicted on five counts of murder and 18 counts of attempted murder for intentionally driving at pedestrians in a busy shopping area.

People pay their respects near the site where a car crashed into pedestrians in Trier, Germany, on Dec. 2, 2020. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)
People pay their respects near the site where a car crashed into pedestrians in Trier, Germany, on Dec. 2, 2020. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)

Investigators said he drank alcoholic beverages before the attack.

The people killed were a 45-year-old father and his 9-week-old child, and three women ages 25, 52, and 73. Prosecutor Eric Samel said the defendant intended to kill as many people as possible, German news agency dpa reported Thursday.

Dpa said that the defendant declined to testify at the start of the trial in the Trier regional court.