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A sixteen-year-old youth from the Roma community in Greece was seriously wounded in the head today when a police officer shot him during a pursuit near Thessaloniki, the AFP agency reported, quoted by BTA.

In its official statement, the Greek police informed that "the driver made dangerous maneuvers" and "tried to crash into the police motorcycles".

"Given the imminent danger, the police officers used firearms - they fired two shots in an attempt to block the vehicle, after which the driver lost control, crashed into a wall and was taken to hospital with serious injuries," the police said in a statement.

This attack was "carried out in cold blood by the police. The child did not do anything to justify such an action by the police officers", the lawyer of the family of the young Roma, Teofilos Alexopoulos, told the media.

Police intervened at around 1am after being alerted by a gas station owner that the young Roma had run away without paying a €20 bill.

The officer who fired the shot has been arrested and is scheduled to appear before a prosecutor tomorrow morning.

Several dozen Roma gathered this afternoon in front of the hospital where the boy was operated on.

Tensions arose with anti-riot forces, who used tear gas against Roma throwing stones at them.

In 2021, in Perama, near the port of Piraeus, another 20-year-old Roma boy was killed after a chase with the police.

The seven police officers involved are on trial for the murder and attempted murder of another injured 16-year-old.

The process is still ongoing.

Arrests during riots in Athens and Thessaloniki