Man faces 18 charges over Marsa car chase

A Valletta man has been remanded in custody in connection with a hit and run incident yesterday in Marsa, during which the police fired warning shots.

Inspectors Lydon Zammit, Stephen Gulia and Rodrick Spiteri charged Keith Cremona, 34, from Valletta, with 18 offences, which include damaging a police car, slightly injuring two men, dangerous driving, and damaging three motorcycles during the early hours of July 20 in Marsa. 

Cremona was also accused of driving his Hyundai Lantra without a licence or insurance cover, failing to stop after being involved in a traffic accident and refusing to give his particulars, failing to stop at a red light and driving on the wrong side of the road.

During the car chase, Cremona allegedly hit and injured an off-duty police officer in Marsa. Police had been forced to fire warning shots in the air, and later, at the vehicle, after Cremona failed to pull over and collided with the police car several times.

His is also facing charges relating to heroin possession and disobeying legitimate police orders, carrying a sharp and pointed instrument in public without a licence, breaching bail conditions and the conditions of a probation order and recidivism. 

The court was asked to disqualify Cremona from driving and issue a protection order in favour of the people involved.

Cremona, who told the court that he worked with a family business, pleaded not guilty.

Bail was not requested at this stage, with his defence counsel requesting the court impose a treatment order for what was described as a “chronic drug problem.”

The accused is understood to be addicted to crack cocaine and had been placed on the police wanted list after repeatedly failing to sign his bail book. Cremona was recently acquitted in separate proceedings in which he had been accused of causing €700 worth of damage to a prison lift. In that case the allegation that he had jumped up and down inside the lift, causing it to jam, had eventually been disproven by CCTV footage.

Lawyers David Gatt and Ishmael Psaila appeared as defence counsel to the accused.