A violent confrontation in Sarandë during the early hours of Sunday has resulted in six people being arrested, one person being declared wanted, and two State Police officers being suspended.
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| Special forces units intervene outside an establishment on Butrinti Street in Sarandë, escorting individuals away after a violent confrontation involving security guards and police. |
The incident took place at around 3:20 a.m. on August 16, on Butrinti Street, outside a local establishment.
VIDEO: Police Crime Chief Pulls His Service Weapon During the Brawl
According to the Albanian State Police, security guards working at the establishment had become involved in a confrontation with several other individuals and had failed to notify the police.
At the time, Deputy Commissioner Mateo Bakalli, who was driving through the area, noticed the confrontation and stopped.
Police say Bakalli identified himself as a police officer and intervened in an attempt to prevent the situation from escalating.
However, video footage from the incident appears to show Bakalli drawing his service pistol and pointing it toward the security guards during the confrontation.
The footage raises serious questions about the way the situation was handled, particularly because Bakalli is not an ordinary patrol officer but the Chief of Criminal Investigation at the Sarandë Police Station.
The fact that an officer draws his firearm during a confrontation does not, by itself, establish that he acted unlawfully. The circumstances, the level of threat and whether the response was proportionate must be established by the competent authorities.
Nevertheless, the footage makes the use of the firearm one of the most significant elements requiring clarification in the investigation.
Security Guards Allegedly Assaulted the Police Officer
According to the police account, the security guards did not stop the confrontation after Bakalli intervened.
Instead, they allegedly began punching the police officer.
Police say Bakalli then acted in self-defense and managed to contact police services and request assistance.
Approximately one minute later, officers from the “Shqiponja” Special Force and the National Security Forces arrived at the scene, neutralized the situation and escorted the people involved away.
Police checks continued at a residence in the village of Gjashtë, where additional individuals allegedly connected to the confrontation were located and escorted to the police station.
Six Arrested, One Declared Wanted
Following the investigation, conducted in cooperation with the Sarandë Prosecutor's Office, police arrested:
- Marjo Katiraj, 35, administrator of the establishment;
- Elgent Ndoj, 38;
- Faik Hoxha, 35;
- Indrit Cullhaj, 34;
- Ardit Kasemi, 31, a military serviceman based in Zall-Herr who was also working as a security guard at the establishment;
- Besnik Sullollari, 29, a taxi driver.
Meanwhile, Pjetër Doçi, 28, a security guard at the establishment where the confrontation occurred, has been declared wanted.
Two Police Officers Suspended
The incident has also resulted in disciplinary action against two State Police officers.
State Police General Director Skënder Hita ordered the immediate suspension of Inspector Armando Shehi, an officer of the “RESI” unit, and Deputy Commissioner Andon Binaku, an officer of RENEA, Albania's elite police intervention unit.
According to police, the two officers were working at the establishment without authorization while off duty and failed to notify police services about the confrontation.
The Directorate of Professional Standards has sent a team to Sarandë and launched a disciplinary investigation into both officers.
VIDEO: The Moment Raising the Biggest Questions
The footage showing the Chief of Criminal Investigation drawing his service pistol during the confrontation is now one of the most controversial aspects of the case.
The video should be assessed in the full context of what happened before and after the moment the firearm was drawn. A short clip alone cannot establish whether the officer's actions were justified.
However, it raises an important question: Was the use of a firearm by a senior police officer a proportionate response to the threat he faced at that moment?
That question will be particularly important as prosecutors investigate the confrontation and police authorities conduct their own disciplinary review.
The Sarandë Prosecutor's Office is continuing its investigation to fully document the circumstances of the incident and determine the potential legal responsibility of everyone involved.
What began as a late-night brawl in Sarandë has now become a wider investigation into both the conduct of civilians and the way police officers responded to a rapidly escalating confrontation.