Police near St. Petersburg have pursued an armored personnel carrier along a road and through a field, eventually detaining its driver and a passenger, both of whom were intoxicated, the local 47news portal reported Sunday.
The provenance of the armored carrier, and how two apparent civilians came to possess it was unknown: The military denied the vehicle could have come from a local army base, the Interfax news agency reported Sunday.
The chase — in the Kingisepp locality within northwest Russia's Leningrad region ?€” kicked off early Sunday morning after police received a call about an armored personnel carrier “destroying the vegetable garden of a local resident,” 47news reported.
Road police dispatched to the scene spotted the armored vehicle driving toward them at a high speed on the road to a seaport, 47news reported.
After swerving out of the personnel carrier's way to avoid a collision, police pursued the vehicle ?€” which turned off the road into a field, the report said. The police Ford sedan got stuck in the muck, and officers continued their pursuit on foot until the personnel carrier drove into a ravine and slammed into a tree, 47news reported.
The police apprehended the two men ?€” both St. Petersburg residents ?€” who had no papers for the armored carrier, the report said.
A spokesman from Russia's western military district, Col. Igor Muginov, insisted the army had no connection to the armored vehicle, Interfax reported.
?€?Judging by its appearance, I can say without a doubt: This armored personnel carrier is not a combat one,?€? Muginov was quoted as saying. ?€?The Western military district has no such vehicles in its arsenal.?€?
The military inspected all military units that are stationed in the region and are equipped with armored personnel carriers, concluding that ?€?these machines did not leave their military bases during the weekend,?€? Muginov said.
The 30-year-old driver faces charges for driving while intoxicated, 47news reported.
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