Two men apparently stole a car in Berlin early on Sunday in order to get a collection of recyclable bottles, authorities said.
The two suspects, 41 and 31, said they had been under the influence of drugs at the time and had also taken heroin together. According to police, the pair said they noticed the 30-year-old Honda because it contained many returnable bottles. They said their plan was to drive the car to a location where they can redeem the containers and then abandon the vehicle.
Like many other countries, Germany has a system where used bottles can be redeemed for cash or coupons, which can then be used to buy goods in stores. The amount per container varies between €0.08 to €0.25 (between 9 and 28 US cents). It was not immediately clear how many bottles there were in the car.
Investigated over theft, drugs, explosives
The two men managed to start the car, but the plan failed when their reckless driving attracted the attention of police.
When police tried to stop the car, the driver accelerated. During the attempted escape, their vehicle hit two parked cars while driving over the speed limit. After the second collision, the men jumped out of the car and ran away, but officers were able to catch them.
Police also found tools, banned fireworks and suspected drugs on the men. They are now under investigation for particularly serious theft, an illegal motor vehicle race, violation of explosives and narcotics laws and two hit-and-runs. The owner of the stolen Honda was able to pick up his car afterwards.