Police car chase turns deadly in central Greece

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - A police car chase in central Greece turned deadly for an alleged car thief, as reported Saturday by police.

A 20-year-old car-thief of Syrian nationality, who was already convicted of numerous crimes, was spotted at the exit of the city of Larissa while driving a stolen truck on the national Athens-Thessaloniki highway, a police spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the driver lost control of the truck as he was trying to escape police teams.

When he tried to run after he crashed the truck, an officer, under circumstances that are being investigated, used a weapon that resulted in the fatal injury to the suspect’s ribs, according to the statement.

The officer was detained and the prosecutor was informed, it noted.

The statement said the prosecutor's decision is pending the start of the procedure for a disciplinary investigation against the officer.