Thessaloniki police chase ends with arrests of transformer‑theft gang

In the early hours of 1 August 2026, police in Thessaloniki pursued a stolen agricultural vehicle linked to a criminal network that had been stealing electrical transformers. The three suspects, aged 45, 37 and 35, attempted to flee by ramming two patrol cars and then driving the wrong way on the Thessaloniki‑Peraias highway, where they collided with a civilian vehicle, injuring its two occupants.

During the chase one of the suspects fired at a police car, striking the windshield and roof. The suspects abandoned the vehicle and tried to escape on foot, but were cornered and arrested after a violent struggle that wounded three police officers. Investigators recovered a seized carbine, ammunition, five shell casings and twelve copper coils that had been removed from transformers. The gang’s activities from 20 January to the day of the arrests are estimated to have caused more than €550 000 in damage to the national electricity distribution network. A fourth suspect remains at large. The three men face charges including attempted murder, organized crime, aggravated theft, illegal weapon possession and dangerous driving.