Poppel Violence: Woman Stabbed, Man Run Over in Dispute

A violent confrontation in the small Belgian border town of Poppel has left two people seriously injured — a 44-year-old woman stabbed multiple times and a 54-year-old man deliberately run over by a vehicle. Police have arrested one suspect and are searching for a second as the investigation continues.

The Incident

The conflict unfolded on the evening of Thursday, July 2, shortly after 11 p.m., beginning on the Tilburgsebaan before escalating to the Nieuwstraat in Poppel, a sub-municipality of Ravels in the province of Antwerp, according to VRT NWS. Emergency services — including multiple police cars, ambulances, and a MUG (Mobile Urgency Group) team — responded en masse to the scene.

A 44-year-old woman was stabbed multiple times on a driveway. Her husband told Gazet van Antwerpen that his wife and daughter were home alone when they heard noise at the gate. When his wife went to investigate, she was attacked. She was taken to hospital and is now in stable condition.

At the same location, a 54-year-old man was deliberately run over by a vehicle multiple times. According to Lieselotte Claessens of the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office, the man remains in critical condition. “He is still in critical condition in hospital and is in a bad way,” Claessens told VRT NWS.

Arrests and Suspects

Three individuals were detained on the night of the incident. On Saturday, July 4, a 27-year-old man was brought before an investigating judge and formally arrested on suspicion of attempted manslaughter (poging tot doodslag) in connection with the hit-and-run, as RTV reported.

A second suspect, a 19-year-old man, is being actively sought by police in connection with the stabbing. He remains at large. The status of the third individual initially detained remains unclear.

Possible Motive

According to sources cited by RTV and VRT NWS, the conflict may have originated from a sensitive job transfer of an employee from one company to another, with family members on both sides becoming involved and escalating the dispute into violence. However, the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office has not confirmed this theory. “Over the circumstances or the cause of the incident, the prosecutor’s office cannot yet provide any information,” Claessens stated.

Correction of Initial Reports

Initial reporting on July 3 contained significant inaccuracies. Based on early information from the prosecutor’s office, VRT NWS initially reported that a man had stabbed himself. By July 4, the prosecutor’s office corrected this: the stabbing victim was actually a 44-year-old woman, and the hit-and-run was confirmed as deliberate. VRT NWS published a prominent correction in their updated article.

Kristof Aerts of the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office had noted on July 3 that “the interrogations of the suspects still need to take place. The circumstances are therefore not yet very clear.”

Investigation Ongoing

The relationship between the victims and suspects has not been officially clarified, nor has the specific role of the 54-year-old man in the conflict. The investigation remains active, with authorities continuing to gather evidence and interview witnesses. The 19-year-old suspect’s whereabouts are unknown, and police have not indicated whether charges beyond attempted manslaughter are expected.

Poppel, located directly on the border with the Netherlands, is a small community in the Kempen region. The violence has shaken the quiet border town, where incidents of this severity are rare.

What to Watch For

In the coming days, authorities are expected to provide further updates on the condition of the 54-year-old victim, the status of the search for the 19-year-old suspect, and any additional charges that may be filed. The case highlights how personal disputes can escalate into extreme violence when family members become involved.