The Lexus driver, whose actions led to the death of a young woman in a traffic accident, has had the charges reclassified.

      A criminal case for murder and attempted murder out of hooligan motives has been initiated by investigators of the Investigative Committee of Russia in the Sverdlovsk region regarding the death of a woman and injuries to her minor child as a result of an accident involving a Lexus car on Cosmonauts Avenue in Yekaterinburg.

      The order to initiate a criminal case under these articles (previously, charges were brought against the perpetrator under paragraphs "a" and "b" of part 4 of article 264 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) was given by acting head of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Sverdlovsk region Anatoly Nadbitov, the press service of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Sverdlovsk region reports.

      The decision to initiate a criminal case based on the signs of crimes provided for in paragraph "i" of part 2 of article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (murder out of hooligan motives) and part 3 of article 30, paragraphs "a", "v", "i" of part 2 of article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (attempted murder out of hooligan motives against two or more persons, including a minor) was made after reviewing video camera recordings, the agency explained.

      "The nature of the driver's objective actions immediately before and at the moment of the incident (a sharp and sudden move into the oncoming lane at high speed in the midst of a large flow of moving vehicles), as well as the behavior of the suspect after the incident (failure to assist the victims and an attempt to flee) indicate an aggressive nature of vehicle operation, which in the existing road situation created a danger for an indefinite number of persons," the regional Investigative Committee's message states.

      Let us remind you that the accident, which resulted in the death of the mother of two small children, and the younger child ending up in a coma, occurred in Yekaterinburg on April 11. The 24-year-old driver of the oncoming vehicle, Dmitry Garensky, has been placed in a pre-trial detention center on charges related to this traffic accident.