KAZAN, August 20 (R-Sport) – A Russian KHL hockey player has been charged following the violent assault of a police officer in the city of Almetyevsk over the weekend, prosecutors said.
Artyom Lukoyanov, a third-year player with Ak Bars Kazan, was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly striking an officer in the temple and attempting to steal his gun. The officer had been in the process of detaining Lukoyanov’s friend, who was being booked for disorderly conduct at a local restaurant.
“A criminal case has been launched against Ak Bars player Artyom Lukoyanov and Maxim Gruzdiev for use of violence against a representative of the authorities,” Tatarstan Investigative Committee assistant Andrei Sheptytsky said.
Lukoyanov and his friend, both 24, were “in a state of intoxication,” at the time of the alleged offense, a regional police source told RIA Novosti Monday.
The federal Investigative Committee issued a statement Tuesday warning Lukoyanov will not get privileged treatment from the law because he is a professional athlete.
"The Investigative Committee ... believes that all perpetrators of attacks on on-duty law enforcement officers must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, regardless of their social status or social significance, in this case sporting achievements," the statement says.
Lukoyanov, who was born in Almetyevsk, about 250 kilometers southeast of Kazan, had three goals, eight assists and 14 penalty minutes in 48 appearances last season.
