Three men were arrested in Thessaloniki after a car chase in which they rammed two police vehicles, fired on officers, and drove into oncoming traffic, injuring three officers and sending two civilians to hospital.
Officers from the Prevention and Suppression of Crime Department spotted a stolen agricultural vehicle in the Nea Rysia area in the early morning hours. When the driver saw police, he rammed two patrol cars in an attempt to escape. During the pursuit, the 35-year-old passenger fired at the windscreen and bonnet of a police vehicle. The stolen car then crossed into oncoming traffic on the Thessaloniki-Peraia national road and collided with a private car carrying two people, who were taken to a Thessaloniki hospital.
The vehicle was eventually stopped and the occupants fled on foot but were found and arrested. According to police, they resisted strongly during detention, injuring three officers.
Investigators said the three Greek nationals, aged 45, 37, and 35, were members of a criminal organisation that had stolen 96 electrical transformers and attempted to steal a further one between 20 January and the day of their arrest, causing at least 550,000 euros in damage to the electricity distribution network. A fourth suspect remains at large.
A carbine with a filed serial number, cartridges, and 12 copper transformer coils were seized from the vehicle. Charges include attempted murder, criminal organisation, and illegal weapons possession. The three men will be brought before the competent judicial authorities.
