Two German plainclothes policemen hunting a bank robber opened fire on the wrong man and seriously injured him, prosecutors in the western city of Trier said Friday according to dpa. An innocent 37-year-old Belgian told police from his hospital bed how he stopped his car Wednesday on a country lane to make a mobile phone call, but became alarmed when two roughly dressed men in a dirty car pulled up alongside him, wielding a sub-machine gun. "He was terrified he was going to be mugged," prosecutors said. The Belgian sped away, while the two disguised police opened fire at him. Police admitted later the Belgian was innocent. Though wounded, he drove to the next village and staggered into a bar where he collapsed. Surgeons later removed a bullet from his shoulder. Prosecutors said the police had apparently believed he might be the robber and wanted to check his identity at gunpoint. The real bank robber has not been caught yet.
