A police officer off duty pulled his gun in the courtyard of the Economics University in Athens on Monday afternoon. He heavily beaten by students, before riot police squads could rescue him.
A video posted on social media shows the police officer from the special guards units being attacked by a group of some 20 people. They surround him and start beating him. At some point the officer pulls his gun. He did not fire.
A riot police squad moved into the courtyard, fired tear gas to resolve the crowd and rescued the officer.
According to media, the police officer parked his motorcycle in front of the University and walked to pick up his girlfriend. He was in civilian clothes but was wearing the characteristic trousers and the boots of the special guards. He was holding the special helmet in his hands.
the students recognized him as policeman, “pulled him inside the courtyard” and the situation reportedly went out of control. “They surrounded him, asked him if he was a policeman and started beating him.” media report.
They were beating him for about 15 minutes, before the riot police squad nearby realized what was going on and intervened.
The police officer suffered a swollen face and several parts of his body in the same condition.
Police sources told daily ethnos that the special guard pulled a gun without using it.
The attackers did not get the weapon.
The special guard is one of the newly hired, and serves in Piraeus.
In a statement the Greek Police justified the unprecedented incident saying that the special guard “was defending himself,” after he was dragged in the courtyard and was being beaten “Defending himself against the on-going attack, he pulled his service weapon for intimidation, without using it.”
Police has ordered an internal investigation on the issue, the special guard remains hospitalized.
Students told Alpha TV that before the incident, the officer had an argument with a foreign national street vendor.
PS Why do police officers carry weapons when off duty?
