An officer from the Public Security Police (PSP) sustained minor injuries this Friday during a pursuit of a stolen vehicle. The car, which at one point was driving against traffic on the A5, eventually crashed while heading towards Oeiras. One suspect was captured in the parish of Alcântara, while another remains at large.
“Officers on patrol identified a vehicle matching the description of one stolen the previous day in the parish of São Domingos de Benfica. At the same time, they recognized the individual driving the vehicle as a repeat offender in this type of criminal activity,” the PSP stated in a communication sent to the media on July 11.
Upon noticing the presence of authorities, the driver performed “several dangerous maneuvers, violating multiple traffic regulations.”
“After traveling along some streets against traffic, the vehicle ultimately crashed on the A5, moving in the opposite direction to traffic flow. Several vehicles were forced to swerve to avoid a head-on collision with the escaping vehicle,” the statement added.
The driver fled on foot, with authorities managing to intercept only one of the car’s occupants, who was charged and subjected to a Term of Identity and Residence.
The individual who remains at large is known to authorities for similar crimes and has been previously arrested by the PSP.
The police also emphasized that during the incident, an officer sustained minor injuries and was treated at a hospital.
This operation was conducted by the Lisbon Metropolitan Command of the PSP, through the 4th Police Division.
The Annual Internal Security Report (RASI) noted that last year, the most frequent crimes in terms of serious and violent criminality included snatch theft (up by 8.7%), vehicle theft (up by 106.3%), burglary in commercial or industrial buildings (up by 21.7%), rape (up by 9.9%), and bank robberies or other credit establishments (up by 128.6%).
The document, among various data, indicated that serious and violent crime has increased, although general crime has decreased, and that juvenile delinquency has been rising since 2021.
