Native of Caucasus murdered by Moscow policeman had no knife, eyewitnesses assert

In Moscow, an officer of one of special police units, after a traffic conflict, beat to death an elderly taxi driver, a native of Azerbaijan. Eyewitnesses of the incident state that the casualty had no knife, as had been earlier claimed by the policeman.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that a Moscow police officer was suspected of killing an Azerbaijani. According to investigators, the incident occurred at about 1 p.m. on April 15 at the bus stop in 15th Parkovaya Street in the course of a conflict that burst out on the basis of "personal hostile attitude."

As reported by the Chief Investigatory Department of the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) for Moscow, Dmitry Verezhnikov, an operative agent of the "Bulat" special squad of the GUVD (Chief Interior Department) for the Moscow Region, pulled an Azerbaijani citizen out of his VAZ-2107 car, twisted his arm back, threw him down on the curb and kicked several times his head and body.

"The officer, who was not at service, became a party of a fight that burst out after a road conflict. He kicked his opponent in the stomach, after which the latter died," said a source from law enforcement bodies.

"In the course of a quarrel the commando kicked his opponent to death," said another law enforcer as quoted by the "Interfax".

Allegedly, the taxi driver snatched out a knife and threatened the officer with it; the investigation does not rule out that the officer acted within the bounds self-defence, the "Life News" reports with reference to the position of law enforcement bodies.

The conflict between the OMSN (special militia unit) officer and the taxi driver Isakov, 56, burst out because the latter did not give way, as reported by other taxi drivers who became eyewitnesses of the incident.

"He had not just slung him over," said the witnesses. "He first threw him on the pavement and then hit his head against the curb. He was intentionally kicking him to death. And then, for a few more minutes, he walked around, ringing up his friends and acquaintances, chatting on the phone."

According to the witnesses of the incident, there was no knife in the hands of the taxi driver. The elderly man even tried to apologize to the policeman, said the eyewitnesses.

"There were dozens of people at the bus stop at the moment," said Igor N. who was passing by right at that time. "Old people and children - they all saw it. The people tried to reason the offender, tried to persuade him not to kick."

The casualty died in place. The preliminary forensic examination found that the man's death was caused by an acute heart failure. He was a 56-year-old Azerbaijani Izik Isakov. He has left a wife, three children and three small grandchildren.

In relation to Verezhnikov, a criminal case was opened under Part 1, Article 112, of the Criminal Code (deliberate infliction of moderate bodily harm), which assumes up to ten years of imprisonment. The court ruled to restrict his freedom by recognizance not to leave.