MOSCOW. Feb 19 (Interfax-AVN) - An armed deserter being searched for in the Stavropol territory opened assault rifle fire at a policeman who attempted to detain him overnight to Tuesday, Colonel Vasily Panchenkov, chief of the Interior Ministry troops press bureau, told Interfax-Military News Agency
The policeman saw a stranger in military uniform when patrolling the Prikumskoye village at 0:35 a.m. Moscow time on Tuesday (2135 GMT on Monday). Asked to produce identification documents, the stranger got an assault rifle from under his coat and opened fire. The policeman fired back.
No casualties were registered as a result of the shootout, Panchenkov said.
The stranger made use of the dark and escaped to a railway terminal. The area is cordoned off by Interior Ministry servicemen and additional forces are brought in to detain the armed man.
Private Alexei Khozeyev went AWOL from a unit of the Interior Ministry troops on February 13. His unit is stationed near the town of Zelenokumsk in the Stavropol territory.