High-speed car chase in UAE: Court overturns jail terms, imposes Dh18,000 in fines

Fujairah: In a dramatic case that turned a routine car rental dispute into a high-speed chase, the Fujairah Court of Appeals has revised an earlier ruling against four men involved in reckless driving and endangering public safety.

The court decided to overturn the jail sentences previously issued to the first and fourth defendants, opting instead to fine them Dh6,000 each. The original fines of Dh3,000 for the second and third defendants, who were charged with incitement, were upheld.

The incident began when a group of employees from a Dubai-based car rental company spotted a customer— identified as the fourth defendant—who had failed to return a rental vehicle. The employees, including the first and second defendants, claimed they were trying to retrieve the car when the situation escalated.

They found the overdue vehicle at patrol station on Al Sawda Street in Fujairah. As they tried to block it in, the customer reportedly rammed their car and fled the scene.

What followed was a high-speed chase through the streets of Fujairah, lasting roughly ten minutes and covering nearly 10 kilometers before the employees cornered the fleeing driver on a closed road and called the police.

According to court documents, the first defendant admitted to traveling to Fujairah to recover the car, which he said had been used in repeated traffic violations. He also confessed to joining the chase after the fourth defendant fled. The second and third defendants admitted they encouraged him to pursue the driver, though they themselves remained in communication with the authorities throughout.

The fourth defendant’s lawyer challenged the verdict, arguing that his client acted out of necessity and had been assaulted by the rental employees. He insisted the matter deserved further investigation, particularly regarding injuries his client allegedly sustained.

However, the Appeals Court found the original ruling legally sound and backed by the defendants’ own confessions. All four individuals admitted to their roles during questioning.

In the end, the court accepted all four appeals and replaced the custodial sentences with financial penalties, aiming to hold the defendants accountable while recognizing the complex circumstances of the case.