Law enforcement authorities in Moscow arrested a U.S. citizen for allegedly assaulting a police officer, state media reported Thursday, citing investigators.
The American, later identified as Joseph Tater, was approached by police on Monday night after he tried to check into a hotel without a Russian migration card — a document issued to foreign citizens when they enter the country.
“The suspect refused to provide identity documents, after which he used force against a law enforcement officer,” an Investigative Committee spokeswoman was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
Tater was said to have “hit a [police] employee on the forearm, pushed her,” according to an unnamed source quoted by Interfax.
Police said the American was charged with assaulting an officer, a criminal offense that carries a sentence of up to five years in prison if found guilty.
A Moscow court later on Thursday ordered Tater to be placed in pre-trial detention on administrative charges of hooliganism.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow told the RTVI broadcaster that it was aware of the American’s arrest but said it could not provide any further comments.
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