Two young men aged 22 and 19 who earlier today filed a complaint that they were shot at by police are under arrest for assault, reckless driving and illegal possession of a hunting rifle.
It follows an incident near Argakas in the Paphos district at around 1 am this morning.
Police say the two were on a quad bike and refused to comply with a police signal to stop but instead accelerated and headed towards a police officer who fired a number of shots. The two young men fled on the quad bike and later went to Polis Chrysochous Hospital and then to Paphos Hospital both with injuries to the legs. Their condition is described as out of danger.
The quad bike was found in the area on Thursday morning.
Police said they obtained arrest warrants against the two and they were arrested to facilitate investigations into a case of conspiracy to commit an offence, illegal possession and transportation of a double barrel hunting rifle, common assault, reckless and dangerous driving, negligent actions, non-compliance with the instructions of a police officer as well as traffic offences.
Meanwhile the young people and their families have filed a complaint saying that they had been shot at by police.
The complaints have been filed with the ombudsman, the police and the police complaint commission. They say that police overreacted and endangered their lives.
In statements to the Cyprus News Agency Makarios Panayiotou, the father of one of the two, expressed regret at the incident.
He said the two youths had been shot at by police because they went on a drive on the quad bike on a main road and without any provocation.
He said they had been hurt in the legs, but they could have been killed.
The attorney general has been briefed and will decide whether to appoint a special investigator to examine the complaint or whether the issue should be handed by the police complaints commission.
Read more
https://in-cyprus.com/paphos-police-fire-warning-shots-two-youths-injured/
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