4 dead, 12 injured in Egypt police clashes

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SHUBRA AL-KHEIMA, Egypt, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- At least four people were killed in clashes between police and protesters outside Cairo after a bystander died during a police chase, Egyptian officials said.

At least a dozen people were injured, officials said. The number of dead and injured are expected to rise after officials count the casualties that were taken to Cairo hospitals, said Qalyubiya Deputy Health Minister Zakaria Abdel Rabbu.

The violence began Saturday after police began chasing a suspected criminal and started shooting randomly to scare the suspect, al-Masry al-Youm reported. One of the bullets hit and killed a bystander on a nearby balcony.

Demonstrators gathered outside the Shubra al-Kheima police station to protest the killing.

Policemen fired tear gas canisters and fired shots into the air to attempt to disperse the dozens of protesters who had broken into the police station and stolen motorcycles and three-wheeled vehicles, the newspaper said.