MOSCOW, August 24 (RIA Novosti) – Police in Latvia are chasing an armed robber who stole a police car and was last seen heading in the direction of the Russian border, local media reported Saturday.
The man is wanted in connection with an armed robbery on an auto repair shop in the town of Rezekne in southeastern Latvia, on Friday, Russian-language Baltic news site Delfi cites local police as saying.
Police say he stole his first getaway car, an Audi Q7, from the auto repair shop on Friday.
On Saturday, the vehicle he was driving was totaled in a car accident as he fled police who were giving chase in a marked vehicle, local media report. Taking advantage of the confusion that followed the crash, he fled the scene in the police vehicle, local media report.
Police fired shots at the wheels and windows, but he drove off into the forest, in the general direction of the Russian border, approximately 63 kilometers to the east, reports say.
Additional patrols have been diverted to the region, local police say, and residents have been advised not to approach the suspect, who is considered dangerous.
