A 25-year-old delivery driver was arrested in Athens after attacking a motorist with a screwdriver during a violent altercation on Iera Odos, a major city avenue, police said. The driver, who did not possess a valid license, has reportedly been involved in 19 previous police cases.
According to police spokesperson Konstantia Dimoglidou, the suspect was working illegally without a driver’s license and had been tried in absentia for previous offenses. “He had been hiding while police were searching for him and eventually turned himself in,” Dimoglidou said on Greek television.
The altercation occurred on Friday afternoon (October 3) at the intersection of Iera Odos and Kifisos Avenue. The two men reportedly began arguing after the car driver allegedly ran a stop sign, prompting the delivery rider to confront him. Witnesses said the rider later returned and attacked the 40-year-old driver with a screwdriver, striking him in the head and eyes before fleeing the scene.
The victim was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Speaking to local media, George Kalliakmanis, honorary president of the Union of Police Officers of Southern Attica, said the assailant had a criminal background and described the incident as a case of extreme violence. “He must have snapped. The driver ran the stop sign, the rider stopped, delivered his order, came back the wrong way down Iera Odos, and stabbed him three times in the head and eyes,” he said.
The suspect surrendered to authorities a day later, after a police manhunt was launched. On Sunday morning (October 5), he appeared before a prosecutor who charged him with intentional grievous bodily harm, a felony offense. He has been granted time to prepare his defense and is expected to testify before an investigating magistrate on Tuesday.
