German police officers fired their service weapons in two separate traffic incidents on Wednesday after drivers accelerated toward them, leaving multiple officers injured in both encounters.
Near Munich in Ismaning, officers observed a reckless driver at a petrol station around 16:00 and initiated a pursuit when the man fled. After cornering the vehicle, one officer was struck by the car as a colleague retrieved an emergency hammer, prompting shots from a service weapon. The 58-year-old Munich resident was arrested after a major manhunt involving more than 80 officers, a helicopter, and a police dog, and is under investigation for dangerous bodily harm and interference with road traffic. Investigators are still determining which officer fired.
In Braunschweig, police shot twice at a car during a routine insurance check after the driver accelerated toward an officer. The suspect resisted arrest and injured two additional officers before being detained on a nearby car park.
The shootings follow a separate incident on Tuesday in which an officer in Munich shot and seriously wounded a 14-year-old who was carrying a soft-air pistol.