Charges filed after Skopje BMW chase: officer’s service pistol taken, marijuana found
Police say a BMW fled after a drug tip on 7 October; two suspects detained and charges filed on 14 October 2026.
The Ministry of Interior (MVR) and prosecutors filed criminal charges on 14 October 2026 after a high‑speed BMW chase in Skopje during which a passenger grabbed a police officer’s service pistol, police said.
The incident began on 7 October at about 20:25 on Crnogorska Street, when officers acting on an operational tip ordered a BMW with Skopje plates to stop. The driver accelerated, struck a utility pole and — according to the police account — tossed a plastic bag containing marijuana out of the window.
Evidence recovered, two suspects arrested
When an officer drew his service pistol and ordered the occupants to stop, the man in the front passenger seat grabbed the weapon and the driver fled again. Police pursued the BMW at high speed along Gjorche Petrov Street toward the Skopje–Tetovo highway. Despite sirens and lights, the driver failed to stop and an officer fired three warning projectiles into the air.
The chase ended when the BMW hit a highway crash barrier and overturned. The driver, identified as P.A. (24), and the passenger, E.P. (21), left the vehicle and were detained. The taken service pistol was recovered, and the bag with marijuana was found near the scene.
On 14 October 2026 the Unit for Violent Crime at the Skopje Police Department, in coordination with the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office Skopje, filed charges against E.P. and P.A. for “preventing an official person in the performance of official duties” and for “unauthorized production and distribution of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors.”
A separate criminal complaint for unauthorized production and distribution of narcotics was filed against M.T., whom the Ministry of Interior says is linked to the case.
The Department for Internal Control, Criminal Investigations and Professional Standards at the Ministry of Interior has been informed and is taking steps to determine whether any irregularities occurred in the officers’ conduct during the operation.
Photo: kallerna / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
