Four Individuals Detained in Attempted Theft of Payment Terminal and Assault on Police Officers

The investigation department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia for the Ajapnyak and Davtashen administrative districts has uncovered several circumstances regarding the attempted theft of a payment terminal installed in a grocery store and the assault on police officers.

Four individuals have been charged in connection with the incident. According to the information obtained during the investigation, on May 16, 2020, around 5:20 AM, the four suspects attempted to steal the "Tel Sell" payment terminal from a grocery store located on T. Petrosyan Street in Yerevan.

They allegedly forced open the store's entrance door using technical means and attempted to remove the payment terminal. However, while one of them was loading the terminal into the trunk of a "BMW X5" vehicle, they were spotted by police officers who were on duty. The suspects then abandoned the terminal near the store, got into the vehicle, and attempted to flee.

During their escape, the 26-year-old suspect deliberately drove the car towards the police officers, causing bodily harm and posing a danger to their lives and health. At the same time, to prevent their escape and neutralize the threat to the lives and health of the police officers, an operative of the police fired three rounds from his service weapon—a "Makarov" type pistol—at the rear right tire of the vehicle.

Based on a sufficient combination of evidence, three of the suspects have been charged under Article 34-177 (attempted theft) of the RA Criminal Code, parts 1, 2, and 3, while the 26-year-old has been charged under parts 1, 2, and 3 of the same article and Article 316 (violence against a representative of authority). They have been taken into custody as a precautionary measure.

The preliminary investigation for this case is ongoing, as noted by the Investigative Committee.

Notification: A suspect or accused in a presumed crime is considered innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedure established by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia by a duly enforced court verdict.