Police stop new shooting episode at Moscow wedding

MOSCOW. Oct 22 (Interfax) - The Moscow city police have once again had to intervene at a wedding at which a happy guest opened fire with a gun, the city police department told Interfax.

"Citizens informed the police on Sunday afternoon that around 20 cars with North Caucasian looking passengers were driving along Sokolnichesky Val Street when a man in a red Bentley GT shot into the air. A rapid reaction unit and criminal investigation police were immediately sent to the incident scene," the department said.

The police learned that the 38-year-old driver of the luxurious vehicle fired two shots from his IZh non-lethal weapon into the air on the motorcade's way to a restaurant.

"The police blocked the motorcade in Sokolniki and took the shooter to a police station. He was charged with petty hooliganism (Article 20.1 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses); the case was sent to court," the department said.

It appeared that the wedding guests were not North Caucasians. All of the guests live in Moscow.

A police source told Interfax that the shooter was also a Muscovite and an ethnic Tatar.