28 July 1983 · Driving through
Stolen tipper truck at Heinrich-Heine-Straße
A 21-year-old postal driver stole a heavy KrAZ tipper truck and smashed through the gates of the Heinrich-Heine-Straße crossing, but was stopped by the roll barrier.
Kay-Uwe Katte, 21, from Prenzlauer Berg, a driver at the Berlin postal transport office, had no proper home since leaving the army and had repeatedly complained to the Council of Ministers.
In the early hours of 28 July 1983 he stole a KrAZ tipper truck belonging to VEB Tiefbau Berlin in Heinersdorf and drove to the Heinrich-Heine-Straße crossing.
At 3:55, at about 70 km/h, he broke through the closed gate and a barrier, then through the customs lane's gate with its cable barrier, before hitting the roll barrier that had been raised on the alarm.
He jumped out and was arrested unhurt by the passport control unit. The Stasi denied a dpa report that shots had been fired. Residents in West Berlin photographed the wrecked truck from their windows.
Sources
- Jahrgang 1983: Verhinderung eines gewaltsamen GrenzdurchbruchsStasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (Die DDR im Blick der Stasi)
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