East German Border Guard Flees to West; 2nd Attempt Foiled
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BERLIN — An East German border guard scaled a fence and defected to West Berlin on Saturday, but East German police arrested another man who tried to ram his car through a concrete barrier, police said.
West Berlin police said the border guard scaled a high metal border fence near the Brandenburg Gate early Saturday and managed to reach West Berlin unhurt before his comrades knew he was missing. He was taken in for questioning by West Berlin police.
In a separate incident, a man tried to ram through border barriers with his car at about 3:30 a.m. at the Chauseestrasse border crossing between East and West Berlin.
West Berlin police said the car struck one concrete barrier and stopped. They said East German border guards were seen leading the would-be escaper away. It was not known whether he was injured.
Four days ago, three East Germans escaped to West Berlin by swimming across the Teltow Canal that runs along part of the border.
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