The police suspended three members of its immigration unit yesterday after a failed attempt to stop four members of the Roma community for an inspection resulted in all four fleeing and one making off with the officers’ jeep.

The suspects had been traveling in two vehicles when police spotted them and signaled to them to pull over on a side road of the Athens-Lamia highway, north of the capital, late on Sunday.

According to the account given by the officers, the suspects stopped their vehicles and ran off. The officers pursued three of the suspects but, in the confusion, the fourth managed to get to the police vehicle which had been left unlocked with the key in the ignition. After hitting one of the officers who tried to handcuff him, the suspect fled with the jeep, which was found abandoned in Menidi, northern Athens, a few hours later.