A Latvian suspect believed to be armed and involved in serious crimes died Thursday morning after a police chase and shootout near Lithuania’s border with Poland, authorities confirmed.
At around 10:00, a Porsche vehicle illegally crossed the Lithuanian-Polish state border near Lazdijai, prompting a police pursuit. Officers suspected the driver was a dangerous individual and possibly armed.
A shootout occurred during the chase in the Alytus district, near the village of Poteroniai in Alovė eldership. According to Kristina Janulevičienė, a spokesperson for the Alytus County Police Headquarters, both the suspect’s vehicle and a police car caught fire during the exchange of gunfire.
“There were no injuries, thankfully,” Janulevičienė told BNS. “The officers avoided harm both during the shootout and the subsequent explosion. As for the suspect, we could not initially confirm his condition.”
Authorities initially believed the suspect – identified as 61-year-old Viktors Konopeļkins, a Latvian national – had fled the scene. Large-scale police forces were dispatched to the area, and residents in the region received emergency alert messages urging caution.
However, at approximately 13:00, police confirmed that the burned body of the suspect was found near the scene of the incident.
Wanted for double homicide in Riga
Police Commissioner General Arūnas Paulauskas later told reporters that Konopeļkins was wanted in Latvia for a double murder in Riga.
Lithuanian authorities were notified that he may have entered Lithuania on Thursday morning by Polish officials.
At 10:20, Paulauskas said, the car was spotted in Alytus and a police crew gave chase, followed by a second crew of officers.
“After leaving Alytus, there was an attempt to stop the car in Alytus District, but the driver did not obey the request to stop, and after the car was blocked and stopped, the person got out of the car and opened fire at the police officers,” said Paulauskas.
“Fortunately, the police avoided the shots and took cover while firing back, which was immediately followed by an explosion and then the search for the person started,” he said.
The police used a drone to locate the suspect. His body was spotted in the grass near the explosion site, said Paulauskas.
The commissioner general could not confirm whether the suspect was killed by police shots.
“As far as I know, some amount of explosives was found in the car, but I can’t elaborate yet,’ he added.
Moreover, the suspect was likely firing from an automatic weapon.
According to the commissioner, the fugitive was not known to the Lithuanian police, but Latvian officials confirmed that he had a criminal record and had once been linked to organised crime. However, he had not recently come to the attention of the Latvian law enforcement authorities.
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