They initially stopped in response to a police order; however, as the officers approached their BMW, the driver suddenly accelerated, crashing into a utility pole while simultaneously tossing a bag of marijuana outside. When one of the officers drew his service weapon and pointed it toward the passenger-side door, the passenger grabbed the gun. The driver then sped off, traveling at high speed along GjorchePetrov Street in the direction of Tetovo. Another police vehicle pursued the BMW, signaling for it to stop; three warning shots were fired into the air, yet the BMW, carrying the two young Albanian men, did not halt. At one point on the motorway toward Tetovo, the BMW struck a roadside barrier and spun around, finally coming to a stop.
The driver, P.A. (24), and the passenger, E.P. (21), then exited the vehicle. According to the Ministry of Interior, the firearm and a bag of marijuana were discovered inside the BMW.
Photographs showing visible injuries on both men, along with video footage of the beating, prompted the Ministry of Interior’s Internal Control unit to initiate proceedings against six police officers.
At the same time, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has filed criminal charges against the driver, P.A. (24), and the passenger, E.P. (21). It charges them with the criminal offenses of “preventing an official from performing an official act” and “unauthorized production and placing on the market of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and precursors.”