GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – An 18-year-old driver of a stolen car, whose alcohol level was just within the legal limits, crashed through a Dardagny vineyard in canton Geneva early Saturday 8 March after a high-speed chase.

Geneva police say the youth, who is French and lives in Pessinge, was spotted driving over the limit at 05:00 near Aire-la-Ville, heading towards Dardagny on the Route de Mandemant. They turned on their flashing lights and he immediately accelerated, ignoring the illuminated bar with “Stop Police” that they turned on, on the top of the car, as well as the sirens they added.

He was driving at an estimated 100 kph on the winding roads when he lost control of his car on the Route de la Donzelle and it crashed through a vineyard-covered slope, tearing up several vines in its downhill run. The driver managed to quickly climb out of the driver’s seat window, and he took off on foot, chased by police officers as he headed towards the Route de la Plaine.

They finally convinced him to stop and he was taken to the Blandonneet police post, where he explained that he’d stolen the car in Bernex. Adding to his troubles, he doesn’t have a driver’s license and he’d been drinking, with an alcohol level of 0.43/1000.

The police and the cave are pressing charges against the driver.