After the Death of a Traffic Police Officer, Charges Against the Teenager Driving a BMW Have Been Reclassified to More Serious Offenses

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The charges against a school student who struck a traffic police officer in Tashkent have been upgraded to more serious offenses. This was reported by the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which disclosed new details of the investigation into the high-profile case.

According to the supervisory authority, investigative actions in the criminal case opened over the collision with a traffic police officer are ongoing. The suspect is a minor born in 2010, a 10th-grade student, who, according to investigators, deliberately ignored basic norms of public conduct.

Investigators state that, in an effort to assert himself among peers and showcase foreign-made cars on Instagram and other social networks, the teenager illegally modified the vehicle’s exhaust to amplify its sound, installed flashing beacons and sirens, and repeatedly committed offenses that posed a threat to public safety.

The investigation also established that the teenager had previously driven a vehicle illegally. On January 9 of this year, after the minor failed to comply with a lawful order from traffic police officers to stop, his father was held administratively liable by court decision for failing to fulfill parental duties related to the upbringing and education of a child.

According to official information, on February 25 at around 9:30 p.m., the suspect learned that a BMW belonging to the sister of his acquaintance was at a car wash. Taking advantage of a key that had been left behind, he unlawfully took possession of the vehicle. Shortly thereafter, the collision with the traffic police officer occurred.

At present, the actions of the minor are deemed to show signs of intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm resulting in the victim’s death, as well as unlawful taking of a vehicle. Accordingly, the teenager has been charged as a suspect under Article 267 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which provides for imprisonment from five to ten years for unlawful possession of a vehicle, and under paragraph “d” of Part 3 of Article 104 of the Criminal Code, which covers intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm resulting in death and carries a penalty of eight to ten years’ imprisonment.

The suspect has been detained, and the investigation is continuing under the special supervision of the General Prosecutor’s Office. He was detained in accordance with Article 221 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which sets out the grounds for detaining a person suspected of committing a crime. The authorities emphasized that the inevitability of punishment will be ensured in strict accordance with the law.

Traffic police officer Khosilbek Eshnazarov succumbed to his severe injuries after spending three days under medical supervision.