An alleged drug dealer who shot two cops patrolling a hippie commune in Denmark was critically injured during a Thursday morning shootout with police.
Police said one officer was hit in the head and another in the leg Wednesday as they were doing “routine work” in Christiania, an area of Copenhagen where cannabis is sold in open-air markets along a drug-dealing route called “Pusher Street.”
A civilian, who is not from Denmark, was shot in the leg during the spate of gunfire, Copenhagen Police said via Twitter.
The unidentified suspect, described as a white 5’8″ male in his mid-20s, remained on the lam until early Thursday when cops in kevlar gear stormed a Copehagen apartment believed to belong to the suspect.
Upon noticing the cops, the suspect bolted from the apartment and opened fire. Police returned fire, striking him critically before taking him into custody.
Speaking from the Copenhagen Police Headquarters early Thursday, police commissioner Thorkild Bailiff told reporters the officer who was shot in the head suffered “serious” injuries.
“Our thoughts are with the family,” Bailiff said.
Prior to storming his apartment, cops released a photo of the suspect, who they said is connected to Christiania’s hash trade and well-known to authorities.
“This here should be a wakeup call to police,” Bailiff said. “Now the criminals have really taken over. Now the criminals have to be forced out.”
Cops raided the weed-loving commune at least five times overnight, Bailiff added.
Christiania, established in 1971 by a group of hippies squatting in abandoned military barracks, has become a major tourist hub.
Its roughly 850 residents have declared themselves independent of Denmark’s laws, though they have set up rules against photography, weapons, hard drugs and any type violence.
However, the fact that marijuana is openly traded in the streets has created a steady stream of criminal activity, and authorities have in recent years begun a process of trying to “normalize” the area.
In June, cops brought down 37 weed stalls, arrested 18 people and seized 1,000 pre-rolled joints, according to The Local, though weed sales reportedly started up again as soon as police left the area.
