Weapons ban imposed

Sports car driver wielded a pistol at the wheel

(Bild: thinkstockphotos.de (Symbolbild))

After a car driver handled a pistol while driving in heavy evening traffic in Graz-Umgebung, police officers stopped the 38-year-old in a high-profile operation. His weapon and ammunition were confiscated and he had to pay fines for several traffic violations. 

Shortly after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, a plainclothes patrol from the Styrian Provincial Traffic Department (LVA) was traveling out of town on Triester Straße. The officers became aware of a sports car after the driver of the vehicle apparently handled an object conspicuously while driving. When the plainclothes police officers overtook the vehicle in front of them, they noticed two men inside the vehicle. The driver (38) was wielding a black pistol, which he had circled around his index finger several times while driving. His passenger (21) was sitting next to him.

Manhunt launched
The plainclothes police officers immediately launched a radio manhunt for the vehicle in question. Several police patrols provided support. Shortly before the intersection of Feldkirchner Straße and the local area of Feldkirchen bei Graz, patrol officers stopped the sports car in the heavy evening traffic and directly on Triester Straße. The police officers, who were wearing heavy protective equipment, stopped the apparently armed men in the vehicle.

Officers then seized the pistol in question in the glove compartment of the vehicle. As it turned out, it was a deceptively real-looking alarm gun. The 38-year-old driver from the district of Graz-Umgebung stated that he only had it with him for the purpose of self-protection and out of fear of possible robberies.

Several traffic violations
Police officers seized the weapon and ammunition and issued a provisional weapons ban against the 38-year-old Austrian. He will be reported to the police. The man also had to pay fines for several traffic violations on the spot. No one was injured.