Policeman dies in roadside shootout
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
13.03.2013 08:54
A policeman died from a gunshot wound on Tuesday during attempts to arrest a man near Swiebodzin, western Poland.
Photo: PAP/Lech Muszynski
Police had tried to stop the driver of an Audi A6 shortly after midday on the DK92 road, but the man refused to cooperate and a ten-minute car chase ensued.
When policemen finally managed to stop the vehicle there was a struggle and shots were fired.
A 36-year-old officer fell victim.
“The bullet hit the officer in the head,” police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said in an interview with Polish Radio.
According to Sokolowski, the bullet most probably came from the victim's colleague's gun, after a bullet ricocheted off the fugitive's car.
Sokolowski noted that the 25-year-old driver of the Audi, Mariusz R. (full name withheld under Polish privacy laws) is from the Warmia-Masuria region of north east Poland, and that the man has a criminal record for burglary and car theft.
The policeman who died during the shooting had worked in the service for 13 years and left a wife and two children.
An investigation will be conducted by regional prosecutors. (nh)