All this is known about the suspected murder of a taxi driver in Tampere – 2024-03-12 22:28:05

A man born in 2003 is suspected of killing a taxi driver in Tampere.

The shocking accident happened at the intersection of Lempääläntie and Kuokkamaantie around 5:30 in the morning on Saturday, March 9.

The taxi driver, born in 1969, was waiting at the traffic lights when a Toyota Hilux coming from behind crashed into the back of the car at high speed. Along with the current suspicion, the young driver did not try to brake or otherwise avoid the collision.

The taxi driver died instantly.

A quiet moment

The man from Tampere, born in 1969, had driven a taxi to work for several years. He was a well-liked colleague and a driver praised for his customer service skills. The man was awarded for excellent customer service at the end of last year.

– Early on Saturday morning we received sad news, which is hard to believe, CEO of Tampereen Aluetaksi Oy Tero Kallio said in a media release on Monday.

– The news shocked us a lot. We deeply sympathize with the grief that befell the relatives.

Tampereen Aluetaksi Oy’s cars and service center will stop for a minute at 12 o’clock on Thursday, March 14. The memory of the deceased driver is honored with a minute’s silence.

The news of the man’s death shocked the entire taxi driver community.

– This is a huge shock for me and for all of us, I have received collegial support and we already spent a beautiful memorial moment together, the victim’s friend told Iltalehte on Sunday.

Young suspect

The 54-year-old man driving the taxi died instantly. Reader’s photo

The tragic events of the early morning began when a man born in 2003 illegally used a Toyota Hilux vehicle from the Defense Forces’ Armored Brigade.

The young man, who was working in a temporary position with the defense forces, was completely drunk when he jumped behind the wheel of the vehicle. He directed the car towards Tampere. About 70 kilometers were covered before the accident.

According to information from Iltalehti, the suspect, born in 2003, currently lives in Hämeenlinna. He enrolled as a high school student the other spring and played volleyball in the youth league for a couple of years. According to Iltalehti, the man has no criminal record.

“No signs of braking”

Internal Finland police informed about the accident on Saturday afternoon. A few hours later, Maavoimat informed about the involvement of the Defense Forces vehicle in the matter.

The police said over the weekend that the driver is suspected of aggravated manslaughter, aggravated endangering traffic safety, aggravated drunk driving, firearms offense and violently resisting an official.

On Monday, the police announced that the case is being investigated as homicide instead of aggravated manslaughter. The police suspect that the young man has collided with the taxi at a considerable speed.

– There is reason to suspect that the driver has shown no signs of braking, swerving or trying to avoid a collision, the police said.

The police have demanded that the man be arrested. The claim will be heard in the district court of Pirkanmaa on Tuesday.