Policeman arrested in case of road accident with death of cyclist near Astrakhan

Today, the Narimanov District Court in the Astrakhan Region granted the motion of investigators to arrest a police officer, detained on charges of fatal car-bicycle road traffic accident.

According to the investigators, on May 28, Major Alexander Stepanov, driving a VAZ-2115 car on the highway Volgograd-Astrakhan, fatally hit a 53-year-old man; the policeman was in a state of alcoholic intoxication. A criminal case against Alexander Stepanov was initiated under the article "violation of traffic rules in a state of alcoholic intoxication, which negligently caused death of a person", which stipulates the maximum penalty of 7 years of imprisonment.

"Resolution of the Court prescribed pre-trial restriction in the form of detention against the police officer, suspected of violating traffic rules and vehicle operation, committed by a person in a state of alcoholic intoxication," said the press officer of the Court.

"To be honest, the Court not often prescribes such a form of pre-trial restriction," said Alexander Konokov, the honourable lawyer of the Russian Federation. According to him, the arrest could be related to the attitude of the investigators to the detainee as a representative of the law enforcement agencies. The lawyer believes that there was no need for such a decision of the Court, the RIA "Novosti" reports.

Meanwhile, Police Major-General Grigory Kulik, Chief of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Astrakhan Region, interrupted his vacation to punish his subordinates. Already today, results of the official inspection caused dismissals.

In particular, Alexander Stepanov was dismissed with the wording "for committing the offence, defamatory to honour of a law enforcement officer". This was stated by Pyotr Rusanov, Chief of the press service of Department of Russian MIA in the Astrakhan Region.

According to him, Police Colonel Pitsko, Chief of the MIA's Division in the Narimanov District of the Astrakhan Region, and Colonel of Internal Service Averin, his Assistant to work with personnel, were also dismissed, the "Provintsiya.ru" reports.