UAE motorist ran over drunk American in bid to 'break up fight', court hears

A teenage motorist tells a Abu Dhabi court he ran over a drunk American in a botched attempt to save him from another drunk American he was fighting with.

ABU DHABI // A teenage motorist ran over a drunk American in a bid to save him, a court heard today.

MS, 18, an Emirati, told the Criminal Court he was driving along when he noticed two drunken Americans fist-fighting on the other side of the road, so he performed a U-turn and drove up beside them to try to broker the peace.

The pair refused to be helped and swore at him, so he drove off, but as he did so he noticed in his rear-view mirror that one of them was banging the other's head the the road.

He performed a second U-turn and drove towards them in an effort to scare them off, but they did not move and he accidently ran over the leg of one of the men.

The two Americans rejected his account, saying the teenager was retaliating after they had argued with him.

Footage from CCTV cameras played in court showed the two Americans fighting in the street.

One of the Americans presented the court with a medical report from the US detailing the injuries caused by the car.

The Emirati was charged with running over a pedestrian, while the two men face charges of illegal consumption of alcohol.

The case was adjourned to June 18 for a new forensics medical report to be prepared.