Man faces criminal charges after driving into crowd at football stadium in Samarkand 

A criminal case has been initiated against a man who drove his Nexia vehicle onto a stadium field in Nurobod district of Samarkand region, steering it directly toward people, according to the information service of the Traffic Safety Department.

The man has been charged under Article 277 of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code, which pertains to hooliganism. An investigation into the incident is currently underway.

According to preliminary reports, the young man was upset by the defeat of his football team and, in a moment of rage, drove his car into the stadium and accelerated toward the spectators. He has since expressed remorse for his actions and offered an apology.

A similar case occurred earlier in Saykhunobod district, where a Captiva driver drove into a crowd on a football field. That individual was convicted of hooliganism and sentenced to 4.5 years in prison. His vehicle, deemed a weapon of the crime, was confiscated and transferred to the state. Although victims in that case stated they had no complaints, the court considered the fact that the driver had knocked down two people and fled the scene an aggravating circumstance.