Shots heard near seized Yerevan police HQ; officers injured (Updating)

 July 19, 2016 - 20:59 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Shots were heard on Tuesday, July 19, near the Yerevan police HQ that a group of armed people seized on Sunday, taking everyone inside hostage.

The gunmen are members of the Sasna Tsrer movement. One police officer was killed, and three more were wounded in a shootout that broke as the members of the group hit the gates of the police department with a Ural track. Several captives have been set free so far. The group demand the release of Jirair Sefilian, the founder of the Founding Parliament who was arrested on June 20, as he and a group of people had planned to seize premises and communication facilities, including the Yerevan TV tower.

It turned out later that the armed men fired guns into air.

A number of people have now gathered near the scene to support the group inside the police premises. One of the protesters claimed to have spoken to a member of the armed group, Varuzhan Avetisyan. The latter said that the gunmen opened fire as they thought the police were attacking civilians. The person assured Avetisyan that no one had assaulted people. The police, meanwhile, cordoned off the area.

10:18 pm: Four policemen sustained injuries.

10:10 pm:Pashinyan who returned from the police premises told reporters that a collision occured between the people and the officers, three of the lawmen were injured as protesters threw stones onto them.

The windows of the car broke as people were trying to turn it upside down

10:05 pm: Pashinyan was the only person allowed to the area of the seized police department.

09:55 pm: Deputy Police Chief Samvel Hovhannisyan allowed MP Nikol Pashinyan and journalists from RFE/RL Armenian Service and Civilnet to pass beyond the police cordon. He said one of the officers had sustained injuries.

09:10 pm: MP Nikol Pashinyan who is currently with the people gathered there, urged them against believing in all kinds of rumors, warned against possible provocations.