Ivorian midfielder Abdul Kader Keita, who plays for Rapid Bucharest in the Romanian top flight, was arrested on Tuesday after allegedly knocking down a 68-year-old woman with his car in the Romanian capital before leaving the scene without waiting for the police.
Instant Foot reports that the incident happened at around 5:45 in the morning at the junction of Gherghitei and Zamfir Nicolae streets in Bucharest’s Sector 2 district.
Keita was returning home after early morning prayers, observing Ramadan as a practising Muslim, when he hit the woman as she crossed the road.
The victim, who suffered a fractured right leg, a head injury and a cervical spine trauma, was first found lying in the street by passers-by, who called emergency services.
Keita went to training that morning as if nothing had happened, without telling anyone at the club what had taken place. Romanian police identified him through surveillance footage and arrested him 12 hours after the incident.
One of Rapid Bucharest’s co-owners, Victor Angelescu, told Prima Sport that Keita had stopped briefly after the impact and that an ambulance had been called before he left, suggesting panic rather than deliberate indifference may have driven the decision to flee.
“There was an accident, an ambulance was called, and he panicked and left before the police arrived,” Angelescu said.
The club sent a lawyer to accompany Keita during questioning, given the language barrier, but confirmed it would review that decision depending on how proceedings develop.
Keita was held for 24 hours under the charge of leaving the scene of an accident, and appeared before Bucharest Tribunal on Wednesday afternoon, where a judge was expected to decide whether to remand him in custody for up to 30 days.
