Security guard wanted after fatal conflict in St. Petersburg mall

Police in St. Petersburg are searching for a 32-year-old supermarket security guard who disappeared after a fatal incident with a customer. This was reported on 22 January by the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region (GU MVD).

A statement from the directorate«s press service said: »Three participants in the conflict have been detained—employees of the security organization aged 64 and 19, and an 18-year-old cleaning worker. Another participant in the incident, a 32-year-old security guard, fled the scene and has been declared wanted.«

The conflict occurred the previous evening at the «City Mall» (City Mall) shopping and entertainment complex on Kolomyazhsky Prospekt. According to a preliminary version of events, a 24-year-old visitor was suspected of theft; a verbal altercation escalated into a fight, during which the shopper used an aerosol device.

The details of the physical confrontation are still unclear. Eyewitnesses report that the young man suffered a seizure during the conflict. Arriving rapid response teams tried to revive him with smelling salts, but his condition remained serious. The visitor was hospitalized but later died at the hospital.

The Investigative Committee has initiated an inquiry, and examinations have been ordered. The detainees were taken to a police department where they were issued citations for petty hooliganism. The aerosol launch device was seized from the scene of the incident.