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Former Moscow Official Investigated After Attack on Woman

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A criminal case has been opened into former Moscow official Erast Matayev, after he attacked a woman who filmed him driving on a pedestrian street in central Moscow, the TASS news agency reported Monday.

An investigation was opened on charges of deliberate destruction of property, TASS reported, citing Anton Tsvetkov, the head of the Public Chamber's safety commission.

Matayev has also been deprived of his driving license.

The incident happened on June 25 when a woman filmed Matayev's BMW moving along Moscow's pedestrian Arbat street. When Matayev noticed that he was being filmed, he broke the woman's phone and assaulted her, according to media reports.

Matayev is currently a general director of the Sotsenergoplus company. Until December last year he worked as an adviser to the deputy mayor of Moscow.

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