Teen Arrested for Pulling Gun on Protest Marchers
Police arrested a teenager born in 2009 who allegedly pulled a gun on protesters as the daily march from the Public Broadcaster’s office to parliament in Tbilisi escalated into a confrontation.
Tensions erupted late on September 15 as videos from Besiki Street, which connects to Rustaveli Avenue close to the parliament, showed a teenager pinned to the ground, with his hands on his head, while a police officer held what appeared to be a pistol. “He pulled a gun on me,” protesters are heard shouting in the footage. Police then are seen escorting him in a van.
According to protesters, the confrontation started after a group of young men followed the march and shouted insults, leading to a confrontation on a street connecting to Rustaveli Avenue, where one of the men displayed a gun. They said they managed to disarm him and turned both the suspect and the weapon over to the police.
Police said in a statement that “up to 30 activists marching from the territory of the Public Broadcaster building verbally confronted several citizens at the intersection of Rustaveli [Avenue] and Besiki Street, one of whom displayed a pistol, prompting two rally participants to chase him down.”
According to police, the man entered a café in the area of Besiki Street, where protesters detained him and seized a weapon that “on initial inspection is presumed to be a pneumatic pistol.” Police said the activists then turned the suspect and the weapon over to police.
The teen was detained on charges of illegal purchase, storage, and carrying of a gun, carrying a penalty of up to 7 years in jail.
The incident comes amid what appears to be a resurgence of attacks by so-called Titushki against protesters. Tensions have grown particularly ahead of the approaching October 4 elections, after the ruling Georgian Dream party opened a campaign office on Tbilisi’s Melikishvili Avenue, a route regularly used by participants in the daily “Public Broadcaster” marches to parliament.
Earlier, police arrested two men after they were filmed attacking protesters during the violence near the Melikishvili Avenue office on September 8. The two, however, were released without charges, with police arguing the victims failed to cooperate, while the victims claimed they testified.
The release came amid broader concerns that alleged ruling-party–backed thugs face impunity or light penalties, while protesters encounter harsher, politically charged prosecutions.
Also Read:
- 10/09/2025 – Three Arrested in Melikishvili Avenue Probes, Including One for Damaging Kaladze Banner
- 18/08/2025 – Two Rustaveli Avenue Protesters Charged With Group Violence Remanded in Custody
- 25/07/2025 – TI-Georgia Condemns ‘Lenient’ Penalty for Attack on Regional Manager
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