Driver Sought for Deliberately Hitting Police Vehicle in Yerevan

The Investigative Committee of Armenia is conducting an inquiry to establish all circumstances related to the act of violence against police officers and the deliberate damage of another’s property. This information was reported by the press service of the Investigative Committee.

On July 29, 2021, at around 23:00, police officers approached a parked Mercedes-Benz vehicle operated by a 27-year-old resident of Yerevan near a gas station on Hrachya Kochar Street, acting on operational information. After introducing themselves to the young man inside the vehicle according to the law, the police demanded that he exit the car. However, he, defying the legal demands of the officers, deliberately rammed the police’s BMW vehicle and then drove towards the police officers standing on the road, who managed to escape from the lane.

Following this incident, a criminal case was initiated under Article 316, Part 1 (violence against a representative of authority) and Article 185, Part 1 (deliberate destruction or damage to property) of the Criminal Code of Armenia at the Arabkir Investigative Division of Yerevan. A decision was made to involve the young man as an accused and to put him on the wanted list. A petition was submitted to the court for his pre-trial detention, which was granted. The investigation is ongoing, and measures are being taken to ensure an objective and comprehensive inquiry into the matter, with efforts to locate the 27-year-old and present him to the prosecuting authorities.

According to G. Shamshyan’s information, operational and reliable information has been received by the police indicating that the driver of the Mercedes was 28-year-old Sergey Vardanyan, also known as the son of the notorious public figure Chvchv Arayik.