Town on alert as armed man escapes twice
Police have warned the population of a town in western Switzerland to be on their guard after an armed man managed to evade capture twice in 48 hours.
At a news conference held in Biel on Friday morning, regional police head François Gaudy admitted: “We do not know where he is. We understand residents’ concerns.”
Biel police said the 67-year-old man was dangerous. He fired shots at police for the second time in the early hours of Friday morning, having wounded one officer in the head on Thursday. Around 100 officers were in the area and reinforcements have been called in.
Police launched a manhunt on Thursday after the man, who had been holed up in his house since Wednesday, escaped. He was spotted again in the area early on Friday morning.
As of Friday morning, he was no longer believed to be in the Linde district of Biel but police were nevertheless on patrol wearing bulletproof vests and carrying submachine guns.
“We have had the misfortune to be dealing with a criminal who was well prepared and always one step ahead of us,” said a police spokesman.
The incident is reported to have begun after a local announcement was published about the impending auction of his house. Neighbours said he was attached to his home and had not wanted to sell it.
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