Ex-Offender Leaves Russia After Being Found Guilty of Assaulting a Law Enforcement Officer
Unleashed: American Citizen Joseph Tater, Accused of Assaulting a Cop, Scooters Outta Russia
After a tumultuous stint in the Russian legal system, Joe Tater, an American citizen, has hit the dusty Russian roads. According to TASS, the man didn't wait for the finale of his trial’s appeal, which declared him not criminally responsible and ordered compulsory treatment, and bid his farewell from a Moscow psychiatric hospital.
Medical experts confirmed to the agency that there were no more grounds to hold Tater in the hospital, and he was released for outpatient treatment.
Tater's run-in with Russian law enforcement dates back to August 2024. The investigations claim that on the night of August 12, he refused to part with his papers and used brute force against the lawkeeper dudes.
RBC, the American newspaper, tagged the event as the "American arrested for attacking a cop in Moscow." Tater was charged with using violence against a representative of authority under part 1 of Article 318 of the Criminal Code, which could’ve landed him a maximum five-year prison sentence. Tater remains steadfast in denying wrongdoing.
Fast forward to April 2025, the man was nestled in the N.A. Alekseev Clinical Psychiatric Hospital, formerly the Kashchenko Psychiatric Hospital, against his will. TASS reported that Tater had prior mental health concerns, which were confirmed by specialists at the V.P. Serbsky National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry following a stationary examination.
Tater's lawyers cried foul, calling the forced hospitalization illegal and unjustified, and appealed the court's decision.
On April 14, the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow sent Tater for compulsory treatment, absolving him of criminal responsibility.
Now You're Cooking: While it's hazy whether Tater was officially acquitted by a court decision, he was deemed not criminally responsible due to his diagnosed mental health condition. He was discharged from the psychiatric clinic on June 6, 2025[2][3]. His whereabouts post-Russia are unknown[2][3]. There was chatter about Tater being among the Americans studied for potential prisoner exchanges[2][3].
Despite being declared not criminally responsible due to a mental health condition, Joseph Tater, the American citizen accused of assaulting a cop in Moscow, has not formally been acquitted by a court decision. The ongoing general news and crime-and-justice discussions revolve around Tater's whereabouts post-Russia, with speculations about his possible inclusion in potential prisoner exchange politics.
