Police, civilians collide near seized Yerevan HQ

 July 20, 2016 - 22:08 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Collision broke near the Yerevan police headquarters seized by an armed group, as people that had gathered there to support the gunmen started throwing stones at the police officers.

The armed group that seized a police HQ and took everyone inside hostage are members of the Sasna Tsrer movement. One police officer was killed, and three more were wounded in a shootout that broke as the members of the group hit the gates of the police department with a Ural track. Several captives have been set free so far. The group demand the release of Jirair Sefilian, the founder of the Founding Parliament who was arrested on June 20, as he and a group of people had planned to seize premises and communication facilities, including the Yerevan TV tower.

The police, in return, fired gas, trying to disperse the crowd from the scene.

Several of the protesters have sustained injuries, and ambulance cars are on their way to the Khorenatsi street nearby.

MP Nikol Pashinyan who has been actively engaged in the whole process arrived at the scene to try to calm down the public.