Security guards Mohammed Sardar Mohsen (left) and Ahmed Mohammed Sharif, who were killed when a speeding pickup struck them at the entrance of The Boulevard residential city in Erbil.
Drunk driver killed two security guards at residential gate, say Erbil police
ERBIL — Erbil police on Saturday said a drunk driver in a Peshmerga Ministry pickup truck rammed his vehicle into two security guards at the entrance of The Boulevard complex late on Dec. 4, killing both men at the scene.
In a statement, police said the crash occurred on the 40-Meter Road when a Toyota pickup belonging to the Peshmerga Ministry struck a Mercedes that had stopped at the complex gate, as well as two security staff standing at the checkpoint.
The driver, identified as M.A.M., “had used alcoholic substances and was intoxicated at the time of the incident,” police said.
According to investigators, the Mercedes driver, Hazhan Hiwa, had pulled up to the entrance and was speaking with two guards about entering the compound when the pickup “drove directly into the Mercedes and the two guards.”
The guards, Mohammed Sardar Mohsen and Ahmed Mohammed Sharif, died at the scene. Erbil’s traffic directorate later found the pickup driver “100% negligent and at fault,” and police said he has been detained under a judge’s order in accordance with Article 24 of the traffic law.
The company managing security at The Boulevard confirmed the incident and said both employees were on duty at the time. In its statement, the company said the guards were struck “by a speeding vehicle that violated traffic rules while they were at the checkpoint performing their official duties.”
It added that both men had served the company “for a long period with dedication,” and that the crash “brought deep sorrow” to their colleagues. The management expressed condolences to their families, saying it shares “their grief and pain” and prayed for comfort and patience for the relatives.