Police car under gunfire in St. Petersburg, 2 officers reported killed

Unknown gunmen attacked a police car in the north of St. Petersburg on Friday morning, two of the three policemen inside the vehicle have reportedly been killed.

The third officer suffered from burns as the car caught fire, according to onlookers. 

The whereabouts of the attackers remains unknown. A police manhunt is underway. 

The motive for the attack has not been established, although one theory which surfaced in Russian media states that the police car had been escorting a cash collector’s vehicle.

St. Petersburg website Fontanka reports the attackers stole bags of money from the car, according to a police source. They report that three cars were allegedly involved in the attack. The origin of the money is unknown, according to the site, although it suggests the cash could have belonged to LSR Group, a construction company.

The Russian Investigative Committee has confirmed that the attack took place.