After an ATM in Kierspe (Märkischer Kreis) was blown up, there was a chase in which the perpetrators aimed a laser pointer at the police. After fleeing around 40 kilometers, the officials arrested three suspects in Odenthal (Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis), according to a statement on Wednesday.
The trio is said to have blown up the ATM of a Volksbank shortly before 2 a.m. According to the police, the building was badly damaged, and debris also hit the house opposite. Nobody got hurt. The police started a large-scale manhunt, around 2.25 a.m. the car was sighted near Wermelskirchen. During the pursuit, “the occupants blinded the pursuing police vehicle with a laser pointer,” authorities said.
According to investigators, the car at times raced through Odenthal at extremely high speed until it ended up in a dead end. The three suspects fled on foot, were spotted with the help of a helicopter and caught. Police say they used pepper spray.
“The suspects are three men from the Netherlands aged 23 to 24. Police officers found extensive traces and evidence in the vehicle, which is now being evaluated,” the statement said.
