Khoi Community Leader and Minister of Internal Affairs Provide Details on Police Assault Incident

The altercation did occur, but I was not involved. All participants in the incident are residents of the same community, and they are all related to each other—brothers, sisters, nephews, and the incident happened due to reckless driving with a patrol car. This was stated by the mayor of Khoi community, Lyudvig Yayloyan, in an interview with NEWS.am.

“The patrol officer was off-duty and was in his personal vehicle. This incident stemmed from inadequate behavior by the officer and involved four young men, one of whom is my nephew. According to my information, the incident occurred on August 31, shortly after midnight, but I do not know the exact time. I learned about the incident the next day while I was at work. One of the participants was my nephew; the others are also relatives—nephews of my brother’s sister. It was a personal conflict related to reckless driving and inappropriate behavior. I cannot provide details as an investigation is ongoing, and I do not want to pass any judgment on either side.”

Yayloyan expressed his negative feelings about the incident, particularly since it occurred among relatives. “I am sure that everything will be resolved; however, certain propagandists have sensationalized the situation, connecting it directly with me. I have no involvement in this matter whatsoever. My name has not been mentioned during protests or confrontations, nor in the ongoing investigation,” he stated.

When asked where he was during the incident, he replied, “I was at home at the time of the incident; there are cameras at my home. The next morning, I was at the community hall, and there are cameras that can confirm until what time I was there. If needed, I am ready to provide all this evidence.”

The mayor also mentioned that there are arrests related to the incident. “All those arrested are relatives; the four young men involved are my brother’s, my brother’s son, and other family members. They are all related to the officer as well. The officer is the grandson of my uncle; he is my uncle’s daughter’s son. My brother’s son is 19 years old; among the four, there is also a minor who is 16, while the other two are 22-23 years old.”

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Arpine Sargsyan, addressed the rumors about the assault against the police officer by Khoi community leader Lyudvig Yayloyan, stating that up to this point, no factual evidence has been obtained from the examination of cameras and interviews suggesting the mayor's involvement. “The investigative committee will inform about the results of the ongoing process. I want you all to have faith in the official information if someone is involved, as there is an ongoing investigation, and we rely on the information obtained from the process,” said Sargsyan.

At the same time, the Minister did not deny that an incident occurred and assured that efforts would be made to clarify the details. However, when asked about the fate of the arrested individuals, including the 16-year-old son of Khoi community leader Lyudvig Yayloyan, Arpine Sargsyan did not provide an answer, noting that the case is already with the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

It should be reminded that reports emerged yesterday stating that the leader of the Khoi community, Lyudvig Yayloyan, and his brother were involved in an incident in Shahumyan village where they assaulted a police officer.