POLICE SHOT and caused serious injury to a man attempting to escape officers from the Albufeira Transport Police after ignoring signals to pull over.
The incident occurred on the evening of March 20, when officers were carrying out a traffic inspection in Pateiro, Parchal.
After signaling a Fiat Punto with two passengers to stop for dangerous driving, officers allegedly followed the vehicle for 20km until the assailants trapped themselves in a street between Alvor and Penina.
The two men got out the car and tried to escape on foot. It is reported that the officers fired two shots into the air to try and stop their escape.
One of the chasing officers then fell to the ground causing his colleague to open fire on the two men who they believed to be armed.
One of the men was shot in the arm and in the buttock while the other managed to escape in the thick vegetation surrounding the area.
The wounded man was taken to the Hospital do Barlavento Algarvio and underwent an operation on his small intestine, which the bullet had perforated.
A source from the hospital said the man is now in a stable condition and is not in any further danger. The victim was not carrying a license and has refused to identify himself, but is said to be of African origin and is aged around 30. The police wanted the men to stop as they were suspected of being involved in a drug trafficking network.
The case is now being investigated by the Polícia Judiciária in Portimão.
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