A group of youths leapt across rooftops to escape pursuing police officers in Thessaloniki, northern Greece.

Footage filmed by Newsflare member Taifer on May 8 shows the group of masked individuals scaling buildings after spraying graffiti onto several buildings.

Officials rushed to the scene after being called to a fire but spotted the youths vandalising the buildings.

After ignoring requests to step down, the youths began to flee the officials by jumping from roof to roof.

One of the youths asked the officials to let him have his final cigarette after being caught.

"We came only to paint, we have nothing to do with the fire," said the young man to police.

Parkour graffiti youths trying to escape Greek police by jumping on rooftops and emergency vehicles - Parkour pursuit with two arrests of young people aged 21 after the fire department and Greek police informed of a fire in a store in the center of the city of Thessaloniki, Monday morning (08.05.2023)

A fire in a department store with IT equipment caused the mobilization of the Fire Brigade and Greek Police. However, upon arrival, the crews saw on the store's rooftop 2 young men with their faces covered. The 2 suspects ignored instructions to step down and began to parkour jumping from rooftop to rooftop while policemen surrounded the block. In an attempt to escape arrest, the two youths threw objects at the police from the roofs of the buildings to prevent them from approaching.

Finally, the youths were trapped while police used ladders to approach them. One of the youths jumped onto the roof of the fire engine, holding a cigarette while asking a police officer to "let him have this final cigarette". Having fooled the police he jumps up again and in seconds took off running with the officers in hot pursuit, apprehending him a short distance from where he started.

"We came only to paint, we have nothing to do with the fire," told the young man to police, while their presence at the site is being examined in court.