Chase, shootout and explosions on the border of Lithuania and Poland

The Polish-Lithuanian border on the eve resembled a militant with a chase, a shootout and explosions.

The shooting occurred during the police pursuit of a Porsche car in the Alytus area, relatively close to the border with Poland. The firefight was intense. During the shootout between the police and the fugitive, both the police car and the Porsche caught fire. The police officers escaped injury both during the shooting and the subsequent explosion.

According to the LRT news service, the attacker turned out to be 61-year-old Latvian citizen Viktor Konopelkins. Large police forces were called to the scene, and emergency messages were sent to residents of nearby areas. Initially, it was assumed that the Latvian fled, but then the police confirmed that his body was found next to the car at the scene of the shooting.

Lithuanian media, citing Police Commissioner General Arunas Paulauskas, clarified that Konopelkin is wanted for a double murder in Riga.

Polish services informed Lithuanian colleagues that the man had crossed the border. A police patrol gave chase. Soon they were joined by another patrol. The driver did not obey the traffic light signal, and after blocking and stopping the car, the man got out of the car and opened fire on police officers. Polish policemen took cover and returned fire with automatic weapons until an explosion occurred. The police used a drone to find the suspect. His body was found in the grass near the site of the explosion.

"As far as I know, a certain amount of explosives was found in the car, but at the moment I cannot provide details," the commissioner said.