Three men who robbed a German bank and took two female employees hostage have been chased by police across Poland and into the Ukraine.
The robbers have been on the run since holding up a bank at 7 p.m. yesterday in the northern German town of Uelzen.
Police helicopters and about 20 vehicles are following the fugitives but have refrained from closing in on the men, apparently hoping to wear the robbers down.
The gang's escape route from Germany alone totalled more than 625 miles.
The robbers crossed into Poland shortly after midnight after driving back and forth on German autobahns near Berlin with police in pursuit.
One of the hostages escaped during a refueling stop near the Polish city of Lublin.
They were "well armed and ready to do anything," a police spokesman said.
The robbers took the hostages after forcing the bank manager to hand over money. They threatened one of the women with a gun and fled with her and another employee when police arrived at the bank.
PA