A lawyer representing police officer Vadim Boiko, accused of beating peaceful protesters at a banned rally, was hospitalized in serious condition after an unidentified man attacked him near his own house in St. Petersburg early Tuesday, news reports said.
Alexander Yeroshenko, 49, was in intensive care with numerous head injuries, including a skull fracture, Interfax reported.
A surveillance camera filmed the assailant jumping Yeroshenko from behind, beating him and escaping with his briefcase, Konkretno.ru said. Police did not say whether they had linked the incident to Boiko’s case or considered it an unrelated robbery.
Boiko faces seven years in jail on charges of abuse of authority. The officer himself was beaten by an unidentified attacker in September.
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