An employee of Russia's Investigative Committee was forcibly detained on Moscow's metro after releasing pepper spray when a young woman refused to give up her seat for an elderly passenger.
The incident occurred late Wednesday evening on the metro's Grey Line, or the Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya line, when a man became aggressive after a young woman refused to give up her seat for a pensioner, according to news portal Moskva24.ru.
When other commuters began to protest the man's behavior, he released a can of pepper spray in the wagon, prompting several passengers to attack him, the report said. He was detained by police when the train stopped at the next station.
Igor Bozhkov, the head of the metro's police, was cited by Moskva24.ru as saying the pepper spray culprit had been detained and a criminal case against him opened.
"Unfortunately, it turned out to be an employee of the Russian Investigative Committee, against whom a decision will be made in accordance with the law," Bozhkov said.
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