Motorcyclist crushed trying to stop killer truck in Nice attack: Witness

The motorcyclist attempting to overtake the truck and trying to open the driver's door. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM YOUTUBE

BERLIN (AFP) - A German journalist who witnessed the Nice attack said he saw a motorcyclist chase the killer truck and try to enter the cabin but fall and end up under the wheels.

"I stood on the balcony, right on the Promenade des Anglais, and saw how people celebrated there, and how suddenly a truck drove through the crowd," Richard Gutjahr, 42, who shot smartphone video footage of the bloody Bastille Day rampage, told AFP on Friday.

"Surprisingly, he drove very slowly, not fast, he drove slowly and he was chased by a motorcyclist," recounted Gutjahr by telephone.

"The motorcyclist attempted to overtake the truck and even tried to open the driver's door, but he fell and ended up under the wheels of the truck." Gutjahr, a freelance journalist, said he also saw two police officers open fire on the truck.

A video circulating on the Web purports to show the desperate attempt of the motorcyclist, who raced along on the left side of the truck before jumping off and running up to the cab of the lorry.

He continues to hold onto the vehicle as, according to The Sun, officers shoot at the front in an attempt to stop the driver, before the truck eventually plowed into the crowd gathered for Bastille Day fireworks.

"It was like a [scene from] a movie. At the crossroads, the police opened fire after the truck driver started driving faster and running people over," Gutjahr told the Meduza news website.

It is unclear whether the truck had already run people over when the motorcyclist jumped on board.

In another clip posted to YouTube the lorry is seen from the side colliding with revellers.

It reportedly travelled down the promenade for over a mile, The Sun reported.

"In the next 15 to 20 seconds there were shots from several guns. I don't know who shot at whom." After that, "the panicked crowd ran in all directions. Those who could save themselves ran into the hotels, or sought security in the hotel entrances," he said.

"Right afterwards I personally saw 12 dead bodies, and it was already clear there would be more."

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