Three arrested after shooting at police car and crashing into oncoming traffic in Thessaloniki transformer theft chase
Three men aged 35, 37, and 45 were arrested Saturday after a police chase in Neo Rysio, Thessaloniki, during which a suspect shot at a patrol car and the driver collided with an oncoming vehicle, injuring two civilians. The group is accused of stealing 96 transformers and causing over €550,000 in damage.
The chase and shooting
In the early hours of Saturday, 1 August 2026, officers from the Crime Prevention and Suppression Department of the Thessaloniki Security Directorate, acting on a search for a stolen agricultural vehicle, located it in Neo Rysio. The vehicle had been reported stolen from the Chalkidiki region and its occupants were suspected of involvement in transformer thefts. The officers, who had been searching for the vehicle after it was reported stolen, signaled the driver to stop. Instead, the driver sped away, ramming two police cars in the process. The 35-year-old passenger then leaned out and fired a shotgun at the pursuing patrol car, striking the windshield and hood. The chase continued onto the Thessaloniki-Perea national road.
- Officers locate the agricultural vehicle in Neo Rysio and signal the driver to stop.
- The 35-year-old passenger fires a shotgun at the windshield and hood of a patrol car.
- The driver enters oncoming traffic on the Thessaloniki-Perea road and collides with a private car, injuring two civilians.
- The suspects' vehicle comes to a stop and the three men flee on foot.
- Police catch the suspects after a foot chase; the men resist violently, injuring three officers.
- A shotgun with a filed-off serial number, cartridges, shell casings, 12 copper coils, and tools are recovered from the vehicle.
Collision and injuries
The driver then swerved into oncoming traffic on the Thessaloniki-Perea national road and collided head-on with a private car. The two occupants of that car were injured and taken to a hospital in Thessaloniki. The suspects' vehicle came to a stop shortly after, and the three men abandoned it and ran. Police gave chase on foot.
Arrest and evidence
Police officers gave chase on foot and apprehended the suspects a short distance away. The men put up a violent struggle, injuring three officers. A subsequent search of the abandoned vehicle turned up a shotgun with its serial number filed off and a live cartridge in the chamber, two additional cartridges, five spent shell casings, 12 copper coils that had been removed from transformers earlier that day, and an assortment of tools for dismantling electrical equipment. The suspects were taken into custody.
The transformer theft ring
The investigation, conducted jointly by the Crime Prevention and Suppression Department and the Thermi Crime Investigation Department, uncovered that the group had been active since 20 January. Over that period, they stole 96 transformers and attempted to steal one more from rural areas in Thessaloniki and Chalkidiki. The total financial damage to the electricity distribution network is estimated at a minimum of €550,000. A fourth member of the group is still being sought by authorities. The thefts targeted transformers belonging to the electricity distribution network operator.
Charges
The three arrested men, aged 35, 37, and 45, all Greek nationals, now face a lengthy list of charges. These include attempted murder (multiple counts and on a continuing basis), forming a criminal organization, aggravated theft, violence against public officials and judicial persons, disobedience, dangerous driving, causing bodily harm, attempted dangerous bodily harm, crimes against the bodily integrity of an official, property damage, illegal possession and use of firearms, tampering with a weapon's serial number, and receiving and disposing of proceeds of crime. The charges were tailored to each individual's role in the organization. They are expected to be brought before a prosecutor.
