The District Prosecutor's Office-Stara Zagora is monitoring pre-trial proceedings for a crime under Art. 270, para. 1 of the Criminal Code - for illegally preventing a government body - police officers from the OD of the Ministry of Interior-Haskovo, from fulfilling their duties in connection with the detention of two perpetrators of theft.
On August 19, 2025, at around 9:30 p.m., two police officers from the OD of the Ministry of Interior-Haskovo were performing their duties to guard the train that derailed on August 15, 2025 near the village of Pyasuchevo, Simeonovgrad municipality. While patrolling the area, they noticed two young men driving a horse-drawn cart loaded with metal parts from the wagons. They were driving on the road towards the town of Galabovo, Stara Zagora region. The police officers pursued the cart. They detained one of the young men, aged 17, and the second, aged 14, who managed to escape. During this time, the cart continued to move independently on the road, hitting a moving car, an “Audi“, and breaking into pieces. There were four people in the car who were not injured.
While the police officers were carrying out their duties to establish the identity of the 17-year-old young man, a group of people from the town of Galabovo gathered around them. They demanded that the Ministry of Interior officers immediately release him, and they began to push and pull them. As a result, one of the police officers fell to the ground and was hit on the body.
In order to stop their actions and unacceptable behavior towards police officers in the performance of their duties, his colleague fired a warning shot with a service weapon in the air.
However, the people gathered at the scene did not disperse and did not stop arguing, as a result of which he fired a second shot with a service cartridge, which hit a 43-year-old man in the leg. A signal was given to 112. Medical teams arrived at the scene, and it was established that the 43-year-old man's injury was superficial. He was treated as an outpatient and released after examination.
A pre-trial investigation has been initiated in the Stara Zagora District Prosecutor's Office, which is being investigated by an investigator for causing minor bodily harm by a police officer.
In both pre-trial investigations, under the supervision of the Stara Zagora District Prosecutor's Office, active investigative actions are being taken in order to establish all facts and circumstances. Witnesses are being questioned, medical examinations have been ordered, material evidence has been seized, etc.
The two young men, aged 17 and 14, have been detained for up to 24 hours under the Ministry of Interior Act under pre-trial proceedings for failure to comply with a police order, and their involvement in the theft of metal parts from the carriages is also being investigated.