Police in St. Petersburg arrested at least 219 cyclists over the weekend after a mass late-night ride on the city’s Vasilievsky Island, local media reported Sunday.
Around 400 riders had gathered near Alexander Volodin Square on Saturday night when residents complained of “brawling, shouting, walking on lawns and outrageous behavior,” according to the news website Fontanka.
Police initially said they pressed administrative charges of disturbing the peace against 109 cyclists. By Sunday afternoon, a lawyer representing some of the late-night ride participants told the Telegram news channel Rotonda that 219 cyclists would be held until Monday on charges of unlawful assembly.
One cyclist told the news outlet Bumaga that officers used physical force during the arrests and pepper-sprayed people being held inside an overcrowded police van. Another said he was released after paying a fine for disturbing the peace.
Videos circulated online showed officers violently restraining people and forcing them into police vans.
On Monday, Fontanka reported that police pressed criminal charges of disturbing the peace against the 33-year-old alleged organizer of the ride, who was not named. The man is reportedly a prominent BMX rider who organizes competitions and works at a car dealership.
“Dozens” of other cyclists were awaiting hearings later Monday, Bumaga reported.
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