A GNR patrol car was surrounded on Saturday night in Olhão, by a group of young people. The GNR fired warning shots until reinforcements from the PSP arrived, a source from the Professional Association of Guarda (ASP / GNR) said on Sunday.
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The ASP / GNR coordinator for the South region, António Barreira, regretted the “attempts at aggression” against two GNR soldiers from the Moncarapacho post, in the municipality of Olhão, after having travelled to a neighbourhood in the Algarve city to return a document that was found. The military, he added, came across "young people acting aggressively" and, in trying to put an end to the situation, were surrounded.
The incident took place at about 10 pm and the GNR patrol was later supported by the PSP teams in Olhão, a force that had jurisdiction in the area of the occurrence. The head of the PSP stated that this is a “ situation that demonstrates a lack of respect for authority”.
Lusa questioned the PSP about the incident and Faro District Commander Hugo Marado said that a GNR patrol went to the PSP area in the city of Olhão for “a due diligence, supposedly the delivery of a found document”, but "they noticed attacks by two or three individuals against one another, and that one victim asked for help when he saw the GNR car".
“They tried to provide assistance and 20 to 25 people appeared who surrounded them, almost in support of the attackers, forcing them to shoot four times into the air. One PSP member was attacked and that triggered our request for support ”, explained the PSP commissioner.
The PSP had two patrols and a team from the intervention body close by, participating in an inspection of compliance with the restrictions associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, they went to the site “to disperse” the group and had stones thrown at them ”said the commissioner, reporting also that there was a police vehicle that was damaged.
Hugo Marado also said that “two individuals who had been involved in the incident” were arrested, father and son, both of whom have already been referred to by the authorities.
Original article available in Portuguese at http://postal.pt/
