The accident occurred shortly before midnight at the junction of Laisvė avenue and Baltrušaitis street in Vilnius, where a VW Touareg hit Mazda 6 in the back.
According to witnesses, the SUV failed to stop at a red traffic lights signal and drove into the back of Mazda 6. The impact was strong, yet no serious injuries have been sustained by people inside the two cars.
When the police arrived, the Mazda 6 driver told the officers he had recognized the other driver. It was, according to him, Vincas Babilius, member of the Lithuanian Parliament, member of the Liberal and Centrist Union. According to the witness, the man was behaving and speaking as if under the influence of alcohol.
"Do you think I don't recognize Vincas Babilius?" the Mazda 6 driver told the police.
According to another Mazda passenger, last night their car stopped at the traffic lights and was waiting for the green signal. Suddenly, they saw an SUV rapidly approaching from behind. The car made no attempts at stopping and hit the back of the Mazda.
The SUV driver then got outside and suggested not to call the police, offering the other driver a bribe. The two witnesses say they got the impression that the man was drunk: his speech was disjointed, he smelled of alcohol and was rather aggressive.
"Our car is completely ruined," said the female passenger. According to her, the VW Touareg fared much better. However, its driver fled the scene leaving the car with his mobile phone inside. When 15min.lt tried contacting Mr Babilius this morning, there was no answer.
Algimantas Salamakinas, chair of the Parliamentary Anti-corruption Committee, has confirmed that Vincas Babilius indeed drives a VW Touareg.
The police said they can neither confirm nor rule out that the car was driven by the MP. They are looking for the driver, who has fled the scene, for questioning. The car is registered with a leasing company.
The officers have opened an investigation and took the car to a police lot.
MP Vincas Bablilius already has a record with the traffic police. In October 2010, he was fined for speeding. He had to pay 1,500 litas and had his license suspended for 3 months, after driving his VW Touareg at 166 km/h on a road with a speed limit of 100 km/h.
