A man who kidnapped a woman and a child was apprehended in Transcarpathia following a shootout

Police in Zakarpattia Oblast have detained an armed man who abducted a 45-year-old woman and her three-year-old child and offered armed resistance to law enforcement officers. 

This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine. During the arrest, the suspect shot one of the police officers in the head with a non-lethal pistol and attempted to run over another with his car.

The incident began in the Mukachevo district, where the suspect, at gunpoint, forced an acquaintance and her child into a car, after which he drove to the Berehove district. There, he attempted to kidnap his own grandson and assaulted his daughter, during which the abducted woman managed to escape. Police officers apprehended the attacker at the scene of the second incident, despite the threat to their lives.

Currently, the suspect is in custody, and the children and the injured women are safe. The wounded law enforcement officer is receiving medical care; his life is not in danger. Investigators have opened criminal proceedings on charges of unlawful deprivation of liberty and attempted murder of a police officer, which carry a penalty of up to life imprisonment. This incident occurred amid heightened security measures in the region due to attempts by Russian agents to destabilize the situation in border areas.