Ivano-Frankivsk photojournalist Yuriy Rylchuk was attacked in Ivano-Frankivsk. As the reporter tells Suspilne, he was beaten by a young man on a scooter whom he had caught on camera. The police have opened a case regarding the incident.
Yuriy Rylchuk says he was attacked late on 14 October on Lyubomyr Huzar Street. He was taking pictures of the road, and a scooter that was passing by got into the frame.
“There were ditches along the road, lanterns, such interesting contour lighting. Far away, a guy and a girl were passing by on a scooter. A black scooter, not a rented one. I took a picture. They drove past me, and I crossed to the other side, heading home. And then this guy turns around and starts punching me with his hands and feet without any warning. If I hadn’t covered my face, he would have broken my nose and jaw,” Yuriy Rylchuk said.
The journalist managed to knock the young man to the ground and escape. He ran into a supermarket and called the police and an ambulance.
“We drove to the hospital. They did an X-ray and stitched up my head. The next day I was applying for a sick leave. Then I was ‘nursing’ an order for a forensic medical examination. I wanted to record the injuries as soon as possible, but with all that bureaucracy I only managed to do it on 17 October,” says Yuriy Rylchuk.
The journalist adds that there were security cameras at the scene of the attack.
“I’m sure he can be identified. There were two working cameras there, directed at an angle: one facing right, the other facing left. I asked the store employees, they said the cameras were working. Moreover, after the fight, I accidentally picked up his blazer from the ground but left my hat behind. It would be easy to involve service dogs and find the attacker by smell,” said the journalist.
The police reported that proceedings had been opened for inflicting bodily harm on an Ivano-Frankivsk man, currently classified under Part 1 of Art. 125 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (intentional minor bodily harm).
“On 17 October, an Ivano-Frankivsk man aged 58 filed a complaint with the police and reported that an unidentified man had caused him bodily harm on Zaklynskys Street due to a suddenly arising hostile relationship,” the police reported.
They added that a forensic medical examination has been ordered in the case to determine the severity of the injuries sustained by the victim.
“At this time, the police have reviewed and analyzed the security camera footage and are working to identify the person involved in the crime. The investigation is underway,” the police said.