German man on trial for dragging cops during traffic stop

A 21-year-old German man will go on trial for attempted murder on Friday after he allegedly sped away from a police checkpoint back in March, dragging two policemen with him, reported dpa.

Police stopped the driver in the small town of Lübbecke in western Germany in March and smelled marijuana, according to the charging document against the man. As the policemen stood by his open car door, he sped backward and then forward in a bid to escape.

The policemen clung to the vehicle to avoid being dragged under the wheels, according to prosecutors. Both were eventually thrown from the speeding car and seriously injured.

The driver escaped and allegedly later set fire to his car in a neighbouring town to destroy evidence.

The defence attorney in the case said on Friday that he considered a charge of attempted murder to be excessive. The lawyer said his client had a panic attack but had no intent to kill a police officer.