Posted on 05/31/2002 6:44:05 AM PDT by blam
Putin Motorcade Car Crashes, Civilian Killed-Witness
Fri May 31, 8:06 AM ET
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A police car clearing the way for Russian President Vladimir Putin 's motorcade crashed at high speed on Friday, apparently killing the civilian driver of a car in its path, an eyewitness said.
The Kremlin denied that the police car was part of the president's entourage.
A Reuters camera crew filmed the wreckage of the blue-and-white police car and a red Volkswagen Passat, bashed in on its driver's side.
Andrei Kostolevsky, a student, said he had seen the accident. The police car, driving at high speed ahead of the presidential motorcade, had slammed into the car blocking a major road in central Moscow.
"The (Volkswagen) driver was apparently dead on the spot. He was unconscious and covered with blood," he said. He said two police officers had climbed out of the police car, "clearly in shock" but unhurt apart from cuts.
He said the rest of the presidential motorcade then passed by.
The Kremlin confirmed that an accident had taken place, but said the police car was not part of the Kremlin motorcade.
"We called the traffic police, and they said, yes, there was an accident, but this has nothing to do with the presidential motorcade," a Kremlin spokesman said.
Before Putin's motorcade drives through Moscow each day, traffic police close the streets to traffic. Police cars precede the motorcade escorting his black armored Mercedes Pullman through the closed streets at high speed to clear his way.
They have in the past deliberately crashed into cars in their path as part of their security drill, although this was the first time they were reported to have killed anybody.
"Say your sorry to the nice dead man"
Let's see who the dead guy was before we go all mushy.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A police car clearing the way for Russian President Vladimir Putin 's motorcade...The Kremlin denied that the police car was part of the president's entourage... The police car, driving at high speed ahead of the presidential motorcade... the police car was not part of the Kremlin motorcade ...but this has nothing to do with the presidential motorcade... Before Putin's motorcade drives through Moscow...Police cars precede the motorcade.
And Reuters still titles this one Putin Motorcade Car Crashes??? Well, I guess that Reuters knows that it WAS part of the motorcade. End of story.
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