Dispute Over Delayed Car Removal from Gas Station Leads to Gunfire, Injuries Reported

The investigation into a criminal case involving the use of firearms and violence against police officers, initiated by a group of individuals, has been concluded by the Special Investigative Service of Armenia's Investigative Committee.

As a result of extensive investigative and procedural actions carried out in relation to these criminal cases, the circumstances of the incidents, the motives, and the complete circle of individuals involved in the crimes have been determined, with individual actions identified and legal assessments provided.

According to evidence obtained during the pre-trial proceedings, it has been established that an incident occurred on June 21, 2021, at a gas station in the city of Tashir. Around 20:50, a 38-year-old resident of the Lori Province, overwhelmed by the desire to assert dominance, engaged in a prolonged argument with another resident of the same province about the late removal of his vehicle from the gas distribution point at the gas station. The confrontation escalated to physical violence, during which he inflicted hits on the other person, pulled, and shouted at him. In the course of the altercation, the individual also struck a bystander attempting to calm the situation. Subsequently, he fired a shot from a pipe gun, resulting in injuries to two employees of the gas station.

After the incident, when the 38-year-old man left the gas station, one of the injured employees called for help through his brother, who works in the Tashir police department. Around 21:00, when police officers from the Tashir department arrived at the scene to ascertain the circumstances of the incident, they were confronted by the friends of the 38-year-old man, who displayed aggressive behavior and verbally abused the police officers carrying out their duties. A group of 14 individuals proceeded to physically assault the eight police officers present, inflicting injuries that did not qualify as serious harm, thereby disrupting the normal operations of the gas station and displaying a blatant disregard for the situation.

With sufficient evidence obtained, the 38-year-old man has been charged under the fourth part of Article 258 of the Armenian Criminal Code, with pre-trial detention as the chosen preventive measure. The other 14 individuals have been charged under the first and second points of the third part of Article 258 of the Criminal Code, with a signature not to leave as their preventive measure. The pre-investigation process has been completed, and the criminal cases have been forwarded to the supervising prosecutor for approval of the indictment and subsequent submission to the court.