Interior Ministry: Car Empty After Chase, Man Found Dead Near Kungur

On January 2, the body of 33-year-old Yuri Poskrebyshev was found on an island between two villages in the Kungur district. His father, Sergei, told 59.RU that the day before, traffic police officers (DPS) had chased Yuri and his friends. The man is certain that police killed his son that night. We asked the Perm Krai police what exactly happened between the group and the traffic police, and whether a department employee really beat the young man to death. We publish the police«s response.

During the day on January 2, Yuri Poskrebyshev«s body was found on an island near the village of Zykovka. Yuri»s father, Sergei, told 59.RU that the previous day, the young man had gone to three friends in the neighboring village of Filippovka to celebrate the New Year. On the night of January 2, the friends decided to take a ride to the village of Berkutovo, where Yuri lived — the settlements are separated by the Sylva River. One of the friends took the wheel.

Yuri«s friend told his father that at some point, two traffic police service vehicles started following them. The friends tried to hide from the police, but their car got stuck near Zykovka. The guys jumped out of the car and ran in different directions, with Yuri running last. According to the friend, at some point the young man shouted: “Guys, don»t leave, help!” one of the friends turned around and saw that the light from the traffic police officers« flashlights was already approaching Yuri. The guy got scared, ran away, and hid in the trees for about an hour. Soon the screams died down. No one saw Yuri again, and he did not answer calls.

On the evening of January 2, Yuri«s friend called his younger brother Yegor, thinking he was calling his mother, and said: “Your son died, froze to death, we are not to blame, the traffic police are to blame.” That same day, investigators and operatives came to Sergei and showed a photo of the deceased — it was Yuri. On January 3, the group of friends came to Sergei and told how everything happened on the night of the young man»s death, and also showed the place where the body was found.

In a conversation with 59.RU, Sergei noted that the morgue did not want to show Yuri«s body, but then did show it. The man saw photographs of the found body from the investigator: the guy had a bloody face, swollen eyes, and a broken nose. Sergei is sure that traffic police officers killed his son, and said that he intends to find out what happened.

The young man»s funeral took place on January 6. A few days after the incident, the guy who told Yegor about his brother«s death was sent to a pre-trial detention center, but Yuri»s father told 59.RU that he does not know why — for drunk driving or another violation.

The Investigative Committee of Perm Krai responded to 59.RU«s inquiry that investigators are establishing the circumstances of Yuri»s death. According to their preliminary data, death occurred from hypothermia.
We also asked the Perm Krai police what happened that night and whether traffic police officers really beat Yuri to death.

The Perm Krai police told a 59.RU journalist that on the night of January 2 around 00:40, traffic police officers noticed a Kia Sportage SUV whose license plates were unreadable because they were covered in snow. This was Yuri«s car with friends. The police turned on their sirens, demanding that the driver stop, but he increased speed and tried to hide. The traffic police patrol began pursuing the violators. About a kilometer from Zykovka, the driver of the Kia Sportage broke through a snow bank on a country road and drove through snowdrifts.

Traffic police officers got out of the patrol car and ran after the vehicle — it was going down a slope towards the railway bridge, where it turned right and disappeared from the police«s sight. They followed the tracks and saw the violators» car.

“The car was closed, the doors and windows were locked, the interior was empty,” the Perm Krai police told 59.RU. “Subsequently, the police checked the nearby settlement with the aim of detecting the driver and passengers of the previously pursued vehicle, but found no one.”

The Interior Ministry added that after the chase, the traffic police officers returned to patrolling the streets, and all information about the chase is confirmed by the recording from the police dashcam.

Earlier we reported that residents of Perm are suing the Interior Ministry and an impound lot because they were not given back their car and were charged over 600,000 rubles (approximately $6,700 at current rates) for its storage.