Asadbek Jumaev: My Work on the BMW Contributed to the Tragedy Involving the Teen Driver

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Asadbek Jumaev, owner of the Uzbelas tuning center, gave a candid interview to the Ministry of Internal Affairs while serving a 10-day administrative arrest following the tragic incident in Tashkent involving a minor driving a BMW M4.

The entrepreneur acknowledged that his professional activity indirectly contributed to the accident, which resulted in the death of a traffic police officer.

According to Jumaev, the situation began in May 2023 when a man and his teenage son visited his newly opened workshop. The father wanted to introduce his son to the automotive business, and the tuning work on their sports car was carried out almost at cost.

Although Jumaev had seen the boy driving the car and knew he did not have a driver’s license, he did not intervene, explaining that he was not a traffic police officer. “Yes, I knew. They had come in this car before. I said it was wrong. But I am not a D.P.S. officer to seize documents,” he admitted.

While in detention, Jumaev reflected on his actions and the responsibility for their consequences. “Now my perspective is like night and day. I found myself in this situation for the first time. On the very first day, I realized that every action and word carries consequences,” he said.

He also acknowledged a direct connection between his work and the road tragedy: “I understand my responsibility: by making this car faster through tuning, I indirectly contributed to what happened.”

Jumaev commented on the image of his workshop on social media, noting that earlier posts suggesting violations could be “simply paid off with a fine” appeared to encourage impunity. “The videos looked like propaganda. I understand that now. I deleted these materials even before the court’s decision,” he said.

The entrepreneur appealed to young people and street racing participants to obey the law and avoid endangering others: “Don’t race. It could have been our fathers in the place of the D.P.S. officer. I apologize to the family of the deceased officer and to the people. I promise this will never happen again.”

As a reminder, on 25 February in Tashkent, a 15-year-old 10th-grade student drove a BMW M4 without a license or driving experience and struck a traffic police officer, who later died two days after the incident.

The minor has been charged under Part 1 of Article 267 (illegal vehicle seizure) and Clause “d” of Part 3 of Article 104 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan (“intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm resulting in death”).

The court’s initial decision to impose a fine was overturned following a protest from the prosecutor’s office, and Jumaev was placed under administrative arrest.