Police in Lviv detained a man who took a young girl hostage. Thanks to the swift and coordinated actions of a police officer and military personnel from the Territorial Recruitment Center, the child was freed within minutes. The girl was not injured, and there is no threat to her life or health.
The incident occurred on May 9 at around 4:30 p.m. on Kavaleridze Street in Lviv. According to police, after noticing servicemen from the Territorial Recruitment Center, the man sprayed tear gas and then seized a 13-year-old Lviv resident who was walking nearby.
Law enforcement officers reported the following established facts:
- the incident took place on Kavaleridze Street in Lviv;
- the hostage was a 13-year-old city resident;
- a police officer and military personnel from the Territorial Recruitment Center helped free the child;
- the suspect was identified as a 43-year-old resident of Lviv;
- the girl was not harmed during the incident.
An investigative team from Police Department No. 2 of Lviv District Police Directorate No. 2 worked at the scene. Officers identified the attacker and detained him under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine.
Investigators from the territorial police unit, under the procedural supervision of the Frankivsk District Prosecutor’s Office, opened criminal proceedings under Part 2 of Article 146 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, concerning unlawful deprivation of liberty or kidnapping.
The article provides for punishment in the form of restriction of liberty for up to five years or imprisonment for the same term. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing, and authorities are deciding whether to formally notify the detainee of suspicion.