Argos: Two police officers jailed after shooting 20-year-old during chase

Two police officers in Argos, Greece, have been ordered to remain in custody as they face charges of attempted homicide with potential intent. The officers are accused of severely injuring a 20-year-old man during a car chase that occurred early last Wednesday.

Following lengthy testimonies, the decision was made late Wednesday evening to send the two officers from the OPKE unit to prison. Sources indicate that the officers denied the core elements of the charges during their statements, asserting they had no intention to kill. They also contested the charge of potential intent, maintaining their shots were fired for intimidation purposes.

According to information from ERT, the officers described the final moments of the pursuit. They stated the suspect attempted to hit them with his car at least twice and damaged police vehicles. The officers claimed they were at different levels and running, and that their shots were warning shots intended to force the suspect to stop. They insisted they did not aim at the suspect with the intent to injure him, emphasizing that both they and the suspect were running.

A shocking video documented by Mega and the program "Exelixeis Tora" shows the dramatic moments of the chase. The footage captures the two officers pursuing the young man and opening fire. The sound of the gunfire is described as shocking. Security camera timestamps show the first siren at 00:54:30, with the first shots fired less than a minute later at 00:55:23. Thirteen shell casings were found at the scene, but the video suggests at least 21 shots were fired.

The 20-year-old's mother spoke to Mega, describing her son's condition: "They killed him. Now his body only functions with machines. He has autism, he has an 89% disability." She explained he had gone out to cool off and swim, and became frightened and tried to flee when he realized he had forgotten his diploma at home. The young man's health condition is critical.