Officer investigated after firing in the air in central Athens

The Hellenic Police opened a disciplinary inquiry on Wednesday into an officer who shot four rounds in the air after he was attacked by black-clad youths in a densely populated district in central Athens earlier in the day.

The incident took place when three officers in a police car passed the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) on central Patission Street shortly after noon, police said in a press release. A group of people who had created makeshift barricades with trash bins that had been set on fire in the opposite traffic lane started pelting the car with stones and other objects. Two of the officers bolted out of the car while the driver tried to maneuver out of the traffic. At that point, four shots rang out, as could be heard on a video of the incident posted on social media.

Police said they had instructed officers to steer clear of Patission Street due to earlier tensions between the hooded individuals and police. The officer who fired was briefly detained and a case was opened against him for unnecessary shooting. The inquiry will also consider suspending all three officers involved in the incident.