In Chelyabinsk, a conflict in a queue at a gas station ended with one driver wounding another with a traumatic pistol. This was reported by 74.ru. The injured man was taken to hospital.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident took place on July 11 at a Gazprom filling station on Lutsenko Street. A local resident allegedly tried to refuel without waiting in line. After another driver objected, an argument followed and he opened fire.
“The man was told to join the general queue to refuel his car, but he decided he did not want to do that,” a witness said. According to the witness, there were children in one of the cars, and the victim was hit in the stomach, with a great deal of blood.
After the shooting, the attacker fled the scene. Police later said he had been found and detained. Law enforcement identified him as a 26-year-old Chelyabinsk resident. The weapon used in the shooting has not yet been found.
A criminal case has been opened under the article on battery (Article 116 of the Russian Criminal Code). The maximum penalty under that charge is up to two years in prison. Police said, however, that the suspect cannot yet be placed under arrest because he has already been given an administrative penalty for being drunk in public.
The outlet also notes that long lines at Russian gas stations have emerged amid a fuel crisis. According to media reports, such queues have increasingly led to arguments and fights, including incidents involving weapons.