Finnish police confirmed this morning that the two men arrested last night after a road chase in the Tampere region are suspects in the Porvoo shooting. "They are suspected of two murder attempts in connection with the events in Porvoo", informed the National Bureau of Investigation (Keskusrikospoliisi) this morning in a press release.
The arrests took place in Ikaalinen on Sunday evening at 20:36, after a 30 minute chase in which the suspects opened fire against the police vehicles. According to the latest data, the chain of events led to the breakdown of three police vehicles, but fortunately there was no personal injury.
The suspects are both men, born in 1989 and 1994 and Swedish nationals. The car they used in their attempt to escape the police was a Volvo with Swedish number plates. They are both in police custody in Tampere.
Poliisi vahvistaa, että eilisiltana Tampereen seudulla kiinniotetut kaksi miestä ovat Porvoon ampumisista epäillyt henkilöt. Kiinniotot tapahtuivat noin puoli tuntia kestäneen takaa-ajon päätteeksi Ikaalisissa puoli yhdeksän jälkeen illalla. Tiedote: https://t.co/pzHqlOA5C6.
— Keskusrikospoliisi (@krp_poliisi) August 26, 2019
The citizens of the area shared in social media images and videos of the suspects at the time of the arrest. Apparently, the two detainees could wear bulletproof vests at the time they were captured.
Näyttää vähän, että kaverilla olisi luotiliivit päällä...🤔#porvoo #tampere #poliisi pic.twitter.com/jeJEwYxWbP
— Jaakko Brofelt (@Koneenhoitaja) August 25, 2019
The two men arrested are suspected of shooting two officers of the Eastern Uusimaa Police Departments in a small industrial area in Porvoo (South Finland). The incident occurred in a small industrial area where a police patrol moved after receiving a regular alert call on Saturday night for Sunday, at 00:30.
"Usual property crime"
Kimmo Huhta-Aho, Director of Investigation at the National Bureau of Investigation, explained that the agents went to this area called Koneistajantie thinking they were facing "the usual property crime". However, when they arrived at the scene 8 minutes after the call "they were immediately shot", informed the police.
In addition to the charges of attempted murder, the arrested will face other charges. "As far as the persecution is concerned, the names of the offenses are still being clarified as the preliminary investigation proceeds", the police said.
Preliminary investigations are ongoing now. This includes interrogation of the suspects, technical investigations and the examination of the clues.
"The effective cooperation between the authorities enabled the suspects to be captured in less than 24 hours without personal injury", Huhta-Aho celebrated.
The case required collaboration between the National Bureau of Investigation and the Police Departments of Eastern Uusimaa and Inner Finland. Police also thanked citizens for their tips and observations.
