"Brothers, I'm giving you this car as a gift" - Drunken driver involved in accident tries to convince police to let him go home

On October 18, an accident occurred in Yerevan. Around 11:10 PM, 50-year-old Artak Antonian was driving an Opel Vectra when he veered off the road on Bagratounyats Street and collided with an external lighting pole, then with a concrete barrier at a roundabout.

According to photojournalist Gagik Shamshyan from the scene, one firefighting unit from the Emergency Situations Ministry's Rescue Service arrived promptly at the scene. A paramedic team from Yerevan's 1-03 emergency services also arrived quickly, but the driver refused medical assistance, stating he felt fine.

Artak Antonian was subjected to a sobriety test on the spot, which revealed he was at a very high level of intoxication. He was trying to convince police officers Daniel Grigoryan and Rafik Poghosyan by saying, "Brothers, I'm giving you this car as a gift, take it wherever you want, even to the junkyard, just let my brother go home. This car was a burden for me." However, the officers did not comply with the drunken driver's requests. The vehicle was towed to the protected area of the Yerevan police department.

According to G. Shamshyan's information, a report was compiled against the driver, and he was stripped of his driving rights and fined a substantial amount.