Drunk driver rams into police car at security checkpoint in Almaty, kills two

According to police, at 05.26 am., May 25, a BMW driver (aged 28) rammed into a concrete fence of the police checkpoint in Koksay microdistrict, Karasai district of Almaty region, following which crashed into a patrol car with two officers inside.

One of the police officers – 42-year-old senior lieutenant Zharas Zhangaziyev, born in 1978, died from injuries before the ambulance arrived. The deceased was a native of West Kazakhstan region and served in law enforcement agencies since 2001. He was married with two daughters.

The second police officer – sergeant Dastan Abdykanov, born in 1994, died later in the hospital. He was a native of Almaty and served in law enforcement since 2016. He was married and had a 1-month-old newborn daughter.

A BMW driver, who was driving under the influence of alcohol, was immediately taken into custody. A pre-trial investigation of the case has been launched. “The leadership and personnel of the Almaty Police Department express their deepest condolences to the families of Zharas Zhangaziev and Dastan Abdykanov, who died in the line of duty,” the police department’s official statement says.