Cop fires shot after smart device flags vehicle

Police in Limassol fired a warning shot after a driver of a vehicle, which was flagged by the new ANPR system, sped away with cops ending up arresting two other people on foot.

According to media reports, police were on car patrol on Friday early morning, around 3:25am, on Spyrou Araouzou Street when their recently-installed automatic number-plate recognition system (ANPR) alerted them to a possible stolen vehicle in the area.

They quickly spotted the car and determined it had been declared stolen on June 11.

The officers went after the stolen vehicle as more patrol cars joined the pursuit along the way, with the suspect driver appearing to be driving recklessly.

At one point an officer from the Crime Prevention Unit, which joined the hot pursuit, fired a warning shot against the speeding vehicle.

The driver managed to get away towards Zakaki, where the car was later found abandoned according to Kathimerini Cyprus. Two pedestrians were spotted in the area, about 100 metres away but did not produce their identification papers according to police, who had to use force to detain them as they resisted arrest.

Cops later learned the two persons in their custody were Turkish Cypriots from Nicosia, aged 40 and 27, but it was not clear whether they had anything to do with the chase or if they were innocent bystanders.

Police are investigating the case while also running background checks to determine whether the two people in custody had any outstanding warrants.

A third individual was also being sought by police.

Prior to the chase, around 2am, police were in pursuit of another vehicle in Limassol’s Kolossi area. The driver was flagged by police but failed to stop, while later the suspect vehicle collided with a patrol car in an attempt to get away.

Cops arrested the driver, who turned out to be a 16-year-old male without a valid licence or car insurance.