MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. A court in Moscow has granted the request of doctors at the Alexeyev Clinical Hospital to forcibly hospitalize US citizen Joseph Tater, accused of attacking a Moscow policeman after a scandal at the Radisson Hotel, in a medical institution providing in-patient psychiatric care.
Medical documents reviewed by TASS reveal that psychiatrists diagnosed Tater with mental health disorders during the investigation. According to the March 15, 2025 evaluation: "The commission identified in Mr. Tater symptoms including tension, impulsivity, persecutory delusions, and lack of self-awareness regarding his condition." The findings mandated hospitalization under Article 29 of Russia's psychiatric care law.
Tater previously underwent evaluation at Moscow's Serbsky National Medical Research Center while in custody for over six months. His case, now before the Meshchansky District Court with hearings beginning on April 14, faces potential dismissal if the court accepts the psychiatric diagnosis, which could result in court-ordered treatment instead of trial.
Defense attorneys challenge the hospitalization, calling it an unjustified alternative after investigators failed to extend Tater's pretrial detention. "This represents an improper attempt to isolate the defendant," stated their filed complaint.
Tater’s case
On August 12 of last year, American citizen Joseph Tater arrived at the Radisson Hotel in Moscow, where he violated public order by swearing, behaving aggressively, and engaging in a verbal altercation with staff. They refused to check him in without information about his previous place of residence in Moscow. Although Tater provided the information later, he was denied check-in due to an unsatisfactory reference from his prior residence.
Tater was then detained by police officers at the hotel and taken to the police station, where he refused to present identification documents and harshly grabbed the arm of a female officer.