Update 3 | Latvian charged with the hit-and-run that killed 20-year-old Luc Clous

20-year-old Dutch national Luc Clous was killed in a hit-and-run in the early hours of Friday morning • Vladimirs Puzanovs, 24, pleaded not guilty

Luc Clous was killed in a hit-and-run in the early hours of Friday morning
Luc Clous was killed in a hit-and-run in the early hours of Friday morning

24-year-old Vladimirs Puzanovs was arraigned in court this afternoon charged with the hit-and-run incident that killed Luc Clous, a 20-year-old Dutch national living in Malta.

Puzanovs pleaded not guilty and was granted bail against a €2,000 deposit and a personal guarantee of €8,000.

Clous, who had spent the night with friends at a club in Bahar ic-Caghaq, was hit by a vehicle in Triq Sant' Andrija, St Julian's. By the time paramedics arrived on site, Clous was pronounced dead.

The vehicle allegedly involved in the incident, a Hyundai i10 was found parked in Birzebbugia and its driver was arrested by the police a few hours later.

According to tvm.com.mt, the victim and the car's driver were friends. Driving in separate cars, the victim - allegedly drunk - was asked by a friend to get out of the car due to an argument that was about to erupt. Moments later, Clous was hit by the car with Puzanovs allegedly not realising what had happened. According to the same news report, the damages sustained by the car were minimal.

The body of the young man was found in St Julian's, with doctors pronouncing him dead on site. The incident happened at around 4am, when police received information that a man had been injured. But upon turning on site, the young man was found to have already passed away, with the car that hit him nowhere in sight.

A magisterial inquiry led by Magistrate Ian Farrugia was launched and experts appointed to assist in the case. A few hours later, investigations led the police to a dark silver car that was parked in Birzebbugia.