Extraordinary Incident in Vanadzor: Attempt to Seize Police Weapons, Shots Fired

On January 10, shots were fired in the Lori region. Around 01:20, officers from the Vanadzor division of the Police State Protection Department noticed a group of individuals seriously violating public order and beating a citizen who was lying on the ground at the "Hayk" square in Vanadzor.

According to photojournalist Gagik Shamshyan, the police approached them and demanded that they stop the hooligan actions. However, the assailants verbally abused the police and attacked them, ignoring their legal demands and showing resistance.

In order to halt the hooligan activities and call for assistance from their colleagues on duty nearby, Officer M. Sahakyan fired three shots into the air from his service-issue "Makarov" pistol. The assailants attempted to seize the weapon from M. Sahakyan.

Officers who arrived rapidly, along with the operational group from the Taroni division of the police, took into custody Vanadzor residents, 32-year-old Mher Poghosyan, 32-year-old Gurgen Poghosyan, and 28-year-old Vache Aleksanyan.

According to G. Shamshyan, the operational group that arrived at the scene found three spent cartridges.

Reportedly, G. and M. Poghosyan are brothers. G. Poghosyan works at the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia at the well-known Vanadzor prison, while M. Poghosyan is a teacher at School No. 18 in Vanadzor.