The two OPKE police officers from Argos had been remanded in custody earlier on Saturday following their statements and with the consent of the investigating judge and the prosecutor, who are accused of seriously injuring

They faced charges of attempted murder with possible intent.

According to information reported by ERT, in their statements before the investigating judge, they refuted the key elements of the charge, while emphasizing that they had no intention of killing. At the same time, they disputed the allegation of intent and insisted that they fired the shots to intimidate.

The defendants yesterday also testified about what happened during the final stage of the chase: “The suspect tried to hit us with his car at least twice, and he caused damage to police vehicles,” they reportedly claimed.

“The shots were warning shots, intended to intimidate him and force him to stop so we could immobilize him. Under no circumstances did we aim at him with the intention of injuring him. We were both running – him and us,” they reportedly stated.

As for the family, the mother of the 20-year-old has stated that her son has autism and an 89% disability rating, and faces serious communication difficulties. As she explained, the young man secretly took the car while she was asleep in order to go swimming, and she believes he did not stop at the police officers’ signal because he panicked, having forgotten his driver’s license at home.

The 20-year-old was hospitalized in extremely critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit of the KAT hospital in Athens.

A decisive role in investigating the circumstances of the incident, which unfolded in an abandoned building off the Argos National Highway, is expected to be played by ballistics findings and the forensic examination.

Police authorities collected 13 shell casings from the scene, while an air gun was found inside the 20-year-old’s vehicle. The two defendants insist that they fired warning shots when they lost sight of the suspect, with the aim of forcing him to stop.

Their defense attorney, Petros Koukoulis, stated that his clients categorically reject the allegation of possible intent to kill. On the other hand, the lawyer for the 20-year-old’s mother, Maria Sfetou, argued that the young man “has mild intellectual disabilities” and, according to what his mother told her, “he did not carry any weapon with him.”