Kickboxer jailed for four years after Moscow shooting
Russian former kickboxing champion Said Asadulaev will spend the next four years in jail after being sentenced at a Moscow court on Thursday for his role in a shoot-out in the financial district of the city, TASS has reported.
The case has taken almost five years to be resolved after the original incident on November 17, 2017.
As the Presnensky District Court determined, a shootout took place on that day in the Oko tower in the Russian capital, with seven people injured including those that tried to separate fighting groups.
Asaduleav was found to be one of the protagonists and fought with national guards in the entrance and lobby of the building.
Though he managed to flee from law enforcement and was a wanted fugitive for three years, Asadulaav was eventually arrested in February 2021 with the aid of CCTV footage and has now been tried and punished for hooliganism with the use of weapons.
The day in question saw a businessman, Dmitry Pavlov, celebrate his 55th birthday at the Crystal Ballroom restaurant in Oko tower as part of a lavish event where several performers from the Cirque do Soleil were also present.
The celebrations were also attended by the security personnel of businessman Gavriil Yushvaev and employees of a private security firm who were responsible for the event's safety.
It is believed that the bodyguards of the guest got into an argument about how a Mercedes was incorrectly parked, with the dispute escalating to the extent that the parties opened fire on one another.
More than 30 people had to be detained as 10 sought medical help, with Lenta reporting that one person died as a result of the skirmish.
Two other participants in the shootout, Eldar Khamidov and Magomed Ismailov, appeared before the court and were sentenced to 15 and 16 years respectively.
The prosecutor had sought five-and-a-half years behind bars for Asadulaev, who was handed four years and also had a previous conviction for possession of cocaine from 2015, which is now considered expunged.
