Greek police shoot 20-year-old driver brain dead after Argos chase; two officers charged with attempted murder
A 20-year-old driver is brain dead after being shot in the head by police during a half-hour chase in Argos early Wednesday. Two officers have been charged with attempted murder with possible intent.
The chase
At around 2:00 a.m. on 8 July 2026, officers of the Crime Prevention and Suppression Team (OPKE) in Argos attempted to stop a black BMW for a check. The 20-year-old driver, later identified as a Greek-Russian national, ignored the signal, accelerated, and tried to ram officers on foot and police vehicles, according to the Hellenic Police (EL.AS.). A pursuit involving three police cars followed, lasting more than 30 minutes.
The shooting
The chase ended at approximately 2:35 a.m. outside a supermarket on the outskirts of Argos, where the BMW was boxed in by patrol cars. The driver again rammed the police vehicles, then abandoned the car and tried to escape by climbing a wall. Two officers opened fire with their service weapons, striking the man in the head. Police later recovered 13 shell casings at the scene. A ballistic examination will determine whether the shots were warning rounds fired into the air or direct fire.
- Police attempt to stop a black BMW in Argos; driver ignores signal and speeds away.
- Chase ends outside a supermarket; driver rams police cars, flees on foot, and is shot by two officers.
- Driver arrives at Thriasio Hospital; surgery fails to remove bullet; declared brain dead.
- Driver transferred to KAT Hospital intensive care unit.
- Two officers arrested and charged with attempted murder with possible intent.
- Officers scheduled to testify before a prosecutor.
Medical condition
The wounded driver was taken first to Argos Hospital, then transferred to the emergency department of Thriasio Hospital in Athens. Doctors performed surgery to remove the bullet but were unable to do so. Hospital sources stated he arrived intubated with dilated pupils and a gunshot wound to the head.
He is brain dead.
Later on Wednesday afternoon, he was moved to the intensive care unit of KAT Hospital in Athens, where he remains in critical condition.
Investigation and charges
An air pistol was found in the driver’s possession and sent for forensic examination. The two officers, who claim they fired warning shots when they lost visual contact with the suspect, were arrested and charged with attempted homicide with possible intent in a calm mental state. An internal police inquiry (EDE) has been ordered. The officers are scheduled to testify on Friday, 10 July.
