Guard Flees to Uzbekistan After Incident
A security guard suspected in the death of a shopping mall visitor has fled Russia, flying to Uzbekistan. This information became known on January 23.
A 32-year-old foreign citizen boarded a flight to Uzbekistan at around 1 p.m. on January 22. At that time, two Uzbekistan Airways planes were departing from Pulkovo Airport — to Samarkand and Tashkent, both with slight delays.
Police were supposed to receive notification of the attempted departure, since the suspect«s identity had been established and entered into the database for ticket purchase control. However, a glitch occurred: according to preliminary data, the airline delayed reporting to the Ministry of Transport, from where the information reached the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs too late. Law enforcement learned that the suspect was on board the plane only about five hours after departure. The reasons for the incident are now being investigated by the prosecutor»s office.
What Led to the Search for the Guard
On January 21, after a conflict with security at a Perekryostok store in the City Mall shopping and entertainment complex, a 24-year-old man died.
He was detained at the exit on suspicion of not paying for goods; according to the investigation, he used an aerosol device. Surveillance cameras recorded the visitor being forced to the floor.
By the time the rapid response team arrived, the man was unconscious. He was hospitalized in a state of clinical death but could not be saved.
According to forensic examination results, the cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation.
On January 23, the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for St. Petersburg reclassified the case, initially initiated under the article for causing death by negligence. The suspects« actions are now qualified as murder committed by a group of persons.
According to information, two people have been detained in the case. Earlier, two security guards and a cleaning worker were brought to the department.
Another security guard, a 32-year-old foreigner, who allegedly pinned the visitor to the floor, escaped through a back exit.
In response to the incident, on January 23, police and Rosgvardiya (National Guard) began a total inspection of all Perekryostok stores in St. Petersburg.
