A big car crash in central Moscow took the lives of four people, among them promising young Russian actor Nikita Emshanov.

The accident, involving three cars, happened on the Garden Ring at 6:30 a.m. on August 17. The early hour, the police said, helped to avoid a bigger tragedy, as the road is generally highly congested.

The police are still investigating the incident. Allegedly Emshanov’s Mercedes collided with two other cars as it pulled into the opposite lane. Police suspect Emshanov was responsible for the crash, as his car was evidently exceeding the allowed speed limit within the city.

The true picture may prove hard to establish, though. Media reports have suggested that closed-circuit television of the crash has been classified because the Mercedes had a government license plate. Other reports say it had no license plate at all.

Nikita Emshanov

Emshanov, who had just turned 28, was a young theater and film actor. Born in St. Petersburg, he graduated from the Russian Academy of Theater Arts and worked for a number of popular theaters, such as “Praktika” and “Teatr.doc.” Emshanov is also remembered for a range of prominent roles in popular Russian and Ukrainian series.