Kyiv detains taxi driver who hit Honored Artist of Ukraine: details of the case
2 July 09:49
In Kyiv, law enforcement officers detained a taxi driver who hit Ukrainian singer, Honored Artist of Ukraine Tonia Matvienko. This was reported by the Kyiv police, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
According to law enforcement, the attacker was a 63-year-old resident of Kyiv. He was detained by operatives, and the driver was quickly identified.
Investigators of the Pechersk Police Department opened criminal proceedings under Part 1 of Article 126 of the Criminal Code – “Beatings and torture”.
The police reported that the conflict between the passenger and the taxi driver arose during the trip. The man provoked a quarrel, struck the artist several times and fled the scene.
Tonya Matvienko reported the incident on her Instagram page on July 1. According to her, she used the Bolt service and asked the driver to close the window because of a draft, as she was sitting in the back seat. But in response, she was rude.
“From the very beginning of the trip, the driver was disrespectful: when I asked him to close the window because of a strong draft (I was sitting in the back passenger seat), he reacted with obvious rudeness. At first he ignored the request, and later he allowed himself to make incorrect statements, refused to meet me halfway,” the singer said.
The conflict escalated when the passenger asked to stop the car earlier than planned. According to her, the driver refused.
“The situation further escalated into an absolute inadequacy in the conversation, and I asked him to stop the car before reaching the final point of the route – he refused. I had to open the door on the go. Only then did he stop. I got out and slammed the door. But it didn’t end there: the driver got out of the car and hit me first in the head and then in the shoulder. I went to the police. This day was a humiliation and a shock for me,” wrote Tonya Matvienko.
The police are conducting an investigation. The driver may face criminal liability if proven guilty in court.
Bolt has not yet publicly commented on the situation.
