Mikhailovsky Theatre musician spends night in police custody

For the second time in eight years, Alexander, the principal percussionist of the Mikhailovsky Theatre«s symphony orchestra, spent a night in a police station. The incident occurred following an evening at the Cristal restaurant, located on Sinopskaya Embankment with panoramic views of the Neva River, on Tuesday, 28 January.

According to available information, after consuming food and drinks, the musician refused to pay the bill. When the restaurant«s manager tried to ascertain the reasons, the guest began behaving inappropriately: he broke several pieces of crockery and became involved in a physical altercation with a security guard.

Rosgvardiya (Russian National Guard) officers arrived in response to the call, detained the man, and took him to a police department. He remained there until morning, after which he was released with a report filed for petty hooliganism and went to work at the Mikhailovsky Theatre. The general director of the Cristal restaurant refrained from commenting on the incident and noted that he had not yet discussed it with the staff.

This is not the first such incident involving the musician. In July 2018, he was detained in the Sennaya Square area (St. Petersburg) over a bicycle for which he had no documentation. Refusing to proceed to the department, Alexander called a lawyer for help, which led to the detention of both men. They spent the night in a cell for administrative detainees. A court later deemed the violation insignificant and released the musician from liability, while fining his defender 1,000 rubles (approximately $11 at current rates) for disobeying police orders.