Man Fires at Krakow Police Before Dropping Suspected Starter Pistol

Man Fires at Krakow Police Before Dropping Suspected Starter Pistol
Shortly after 1 p.m. on Thursday, police in Krakow received a report of a man near Beżanowska Street carrying an object resembling a firearm. Officers were sent to investigate, according to reports citing the Krakow police department.

When the patrol arrived, the man allegedly fired in the officers’ direction. Police responded with warning shots, after which the suspect discarded the object and was subdued and arrested. A junior inspector, Jakub Mirohna, said the officers had been responding to a report of a man carrying what appeared to be a weapon.

Initial reports said the man fired twice and was sitting in a car. The object was believed to be a starter pistol, which produces the sound of gunfire but does not function as a conventional firearm. Police stressed that its exact nature would be established through forensic examination.

Several police patrols and emergency medical teams attended the scene. No injuries were reported among the officers, the suspect or members of the public.

The confrontation occurred five days after a separate deadly attack in Krakow, when a 24-year-old man allegedly opened fire at passersby on the city’s Main Square after driving onto it. That attack left six people dead and 15 injured before the suspect was wounded and arrested following an exchange of fire with police. Authorities have so far provided no information linking the two incidents.