American Shot by Russian Motorist

[Phil dAmore]

Greetings all:

Today I received an email from a good friend of mine who has been living and working in Moscow as a teacher.  Last week he was nearly run over by a guy in Moscow.  When he confronted the errant motorist things got ugly.  I have his permission to post the email he sent, and am also providing a link to the story as posted in Rosbalt - Moscow.

Hi Phil,

             I'm keeping this rather short tonight.... you see I had a rather unwanted adventure of my own last Thursday night....and I just got out of - more like escaped from the Botkin hospital (apparently it's part of the Oswald conspiracy-he was there too,and they thought I was an agent!) here in Moscow Wednesday. I used another of my 9 lives - must be down to about 4 left - not bad! So... I was returning home to my flat near Park Pobedy, 1812 goda and Poklonnaya at about 0045 Thursday night....about 3 minutes from my flat, and as I walked thru the big archway to my building complex a big black SUV rushed at me in the tunnel causing me to fling myself towards the wall to avoid being run-over - well, of course that made me instantly very angry and I shook my fist at the driver and swore at him behind the big black dark windows....and I kept walking. Well...he slowed, put his vehicle in reverse and then followed me about 50m...then stopped near me and began to get out of his big car....and I (so angry now and standing my ground - perhaps foolishly in retrospect...) shouted at him 'what the feck do you want!' and he replied in English...'I want to shoot you' as I saw he was holding and pointing a gun at me. All I could see was the gun in his hand and his arm, my mind raced - and somehow I decided to lunge and jump for his arm and the gun. We struggled, and the gun went off at some point...and I can only remember the stangest feelings and guess just being in shock. Then he threatened to shoot me again - saying 'I should kill you'...'say you're sorry'.... well, of course at this point I did...and thank God he got back in his car and left - but not before saying 'you thought you were some kind of tough guy'... It was all I could do to bite my tongue and not say that I wasn't one hiding behind a huge car and a gun and shooting unarmed men.

                 Turns out that even though he shot me at close range....it was with some kind of trauma gun using a rubber bullet. But I didn't know that yet, and if I had run it probably wouldn't have been so serious. But at that range it penetrated my left chest and nicked my lung, causing a pneumothorax. Anyway as he drove off I stumbled to the ground and against a wall, feeling blood everywhere. I got my cell phone and started calling the most recent #'s....couldn't get hold of anyone at first, then texted I'm shot, help....one of clent's fathers, *****, called back - then called the ambulance and police. They were there in about 10 minutes, the medics loaded me right away and took me to the Botkin hospital emergency ward....fortunately another friend and his girlfriend met me there and stayed all night - translating. They discovered the pneumothorax and off I went to the OR where a chest tube was placed...

                What a time it's been - 5 days there was enough and they wanted to keep me there at least another 7 days! I said no way! They took off more fluid off my lung yesterday and when I awoke today I was in far less pain finally without the excruciating pain attacks where I couldn't breathe. So my good friend **** came and debated and argued with the main doc to let me go - taking into account my medical background and expertise....and I signed out against medical advice today and he drove me home to freedom. I can get better here and do something - faster, than in that awful place...it's good to be home, home sweet home...and alive, lived to tell another day. Tomorrow the detectives are coming with an artist to try and draw a picture of this nut, then driving me back to the hospital where the doc wants to change my dressing again and irrigate the wound. (Thursday passed - spent almost all day with various detectives...morning with a computer composite artist, afternoon giving my testimony for the prosecutor....tired)

                 I believe I'll be OK....
                                                all the very best, ***

Link to the article (in Russian) http://www.rosbalt.ru/2009/08/16/663819.html

This is the second friend that has sustained serious injury while in Russia.  Earlier this year a good friend from St. Petersburg was attacked by a group of thugs and beaten severely enough to require hospitalization.

Guys, it's getting ugly over there.  Be careful!

[kievstar]

Are the rubber bullet guns legal in Russia I know in Ukraine in past year there was a proposal to make them legal. 

Big Black SUV's are a sign of someone to not mess with I have been told.  Is is true they like the Suburban in Moscow.  I know in Kiev and Donetsk mafia guys will never drive a Chevy Suburban and I was told it was a Moscow thing. 

[BillyB]

Wow. Bad news Thanks for sharing another "crap happens" in the FSU story.

Some of you guys remember a poster named Andrew/AndrewFi? He got knocked on the head one night in Estonia and robbed. He woke up in the morning, head bleeding, after laying in the snow all night. Lucky he didn't die.

[SANDRO43]

he replied in English...'I want to shoot you' as I saw he was holding and pointing a gun at me.

Any idea if that was US/UK English or had a Russian accent? In other words, the possible nationality of the assailant?

[krimster]

Phil,
   Tell your drusochik to do what I did!  Go to a marine supply store and purchase a 26.5mm Soviet flare gun and a couple boxes of magnesium flares(about 2,000 rubles).  Open one flare and dump out the little aluminum cylinder, open another and do the same, dump the black powder charge from one flare to the other and re-insert the aluminum flare and seal it up, I even glued mine shut.  Do this a few times.  Go outside your apartment at night and shoot one, so you'll see how hard it kicks and the flare lands 1/4 mile away, sweet.  Next time someone pulls out their little dorky makarov lookin yellow 9mm rubber bullet shootin iron, pull out your 26.5mm bore, point at his  gulliver and say, "that ain't a gun, THIS is a gun brat" 

Ahhh, good times...

For me three years in Ukraine was equal to two attempted muggings and a couple of road rage incidents which I later dealt with by purchasing on a trip back to the USA a 300 mw green laser from wicked lasers modified by your humble narrator to about a 50% power increase for about 10 sec (TE cooler and replaced resistor).  On the road from Yalta guy kept blockin me and cutting me off for fun.  As we headed to the famous cliffs I let him have it full blast as he looked in his mirror, then quickly passed on the right, "das va danya joppa dirko"

Ahhh, good times...

Damn, now I'm gettin kinda weepy rememberin all the fun I had...

[docetae]

never had a problem (but it is probably related my height/look).
But nobody is immune:
http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum38/HTML/000997.html (Claude Nicollier Bio)

[Phil dAmore]

Wow. Bad news Thanks for sharing another "crap happens" in the FSU story.

Some of you guys remember a poster named Andrew/AndrewFi? He got knocked on the head one night in Estonia and robbed. He woke up in the morning, head bleeding, after laying in the snow all night. Lucky he didn't die.

I remember AndrewFi.  We spent the better part of a summer in St. Pete. and also hung out in Helsinki before he moved to Estonia.  Haven't heard from him in several years.

[ECOCKS]

Are the rubber bullet guns legal in Russia I know in Ukraine in past year there was a proposal to make them legal.  

Big Black SUV's are a sign of someone to not mess with I have been told.  Is is true they like the Suburban in Moscow.  I know in Kiev and Donetsk mafia guys will never drive a Chevy Suburban and I was told it was a Moscow thing.  

Depends on definition of legal. I've seen the 8mm rubber bullet guns for sale in Kyiv gunstores (no rifling) but if I understood correctly you needed a permit/license from the Ministry of the Interior to purchase them. They do sell pistols which fire a 4mm, BB cartridge and also 4.5mm CO2 guns. Many security guards carry the CO2 guns in their holsters. I've had students display these to me in their man-purses and briefcases over there.

These events do happen. I know an Australian guy in Kyiv who was shot in a road rage incident by either the pellet gun or the little cartridge BB. The idiot deserved it though, no question.

[Shadow]

One of the things you have to know in Russia is who not to mess with.