Police Arrest Another Russian Over Casino Brawl in Sihanoukville

A Russian man wanted for his involvement in a violent brawl at Sihanoukville’s Queenco casino in February was arrested and jailed Tuesday evening after leading more than 20 police on an hour-long motorbike chase through the coastal town, officials said.

Deputy provincial police chief Kol Phally identified the suspect as Andrei Tcekhanskii, 36, a Russian national who took part in the February 13 fight, which police say started when a group of Eastern European men demanded a portion of profits from the Kazantip music festival, which was canceled by local authorities before it began.

“We arrested him at 5:20 this evening in Bei commune,” Mr. Phally said. “We sent him to the provincial prison already.”

“We arrested him because he was involved with…violence at the Queenco casino,” he added.

Kao Ratana, a deputy provincial police chief in charge of the force’s immigration bureau, said Mr. Tcekhanskii was arrested at the request of the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court, which issued a warrant for him in the days following the casino clash. Two other Russian men were arrested the morning after the incident.

A 20-year-old Moldovan man, Bulgar Mihai, was stabbed in the torso during the fight and at least one other foreigner was injured.

Em Voleak, head of the provincial police’s internal security department, said his officers received a tip that Mr. Tcekhanskii’s motorbike was parked outside the Lomherkai restaurant, prompting him to lead more than 20 officers there.

“It took us about an hour to arrest Andrei because he had a motorbike,” Mr. Voleak said, explaining that the police finally cornered Mr. Tcekhanskii less than a kilometer from where the chase started.

The Russian then abandoned his vehicle and fled down an alleyway on foot, but police soon caught up with him, Mr. Voleak added.

“The suspect was sent to prison and we confiscated his motorbike,” he said, adding that police were still searching for four or five other foreigners wanted for their involvement in the Queenco fight.

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