Man shot as police foil robbery

A thief was hit by police gunfire after he and an accomplice were caught red handed trying to steal from a shop selling cheesecakes in Sta Venera on Monday night.

Sources named the injured man as Christopher Gatt. The police only said he is 26 of Zejtun.

The search for the other man, who escaped, was still on last night.

The man was shot after one of the suspects drove their stolen getaway vehicle in the direction of officers the police said. Two policemen were injured in the incident but were released from hospital after treatment.

A man who was in the area at the time of the theft was arrested and held for questioning but later released.

The police said they were informed at about 3 a.m. that a burglary was in progress at a shop, the Original Sphinx Pastizzerija, in Quarries Square.

When the mobile squad and the district police arrived on the spot they found that the two men had already opened the steel shutter and were taking out items from the outlet.

As the police stopped their car in front of the thieves' vehicle, which was backed up close to the half-open shutter, one of the men ran off while the other got into the car and sped towards the police car.

On impact, one of the police officers was wedged between the side of the police car and a parked car. The thief then drove towards the police officers before being shot in the leg.

Immediately after the shot was fired, the police proceeded to arrest the suspect. But as he emerged from the car, he attacked them and made another attempt to escape before being restrained.

He was not armed.

An ambulance took the suspect to hospital where he underwent an operation.

Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima appointed a team of court experts to help in an inquiry.

Police investigations into the incident continue.

The owner of the Sphinx chain of outlets selling cheesecakes and pastry products, Joe Portelli, was informed by the police about the attempted burglary soon after it happened.

The incident took place a stone's throw away from a jewellery shop that had been the scene of a drama during a hold-up way back in March 1984. On that occasion a 17-year-old thief was shot by the owner of the shop and died in the street as he was running away.