The man alleged to have rammed his car into Edmonton police station in London before lighting the road outside on fire “snapped” after being hit with a £10,000 coronavirus fine, according to reports.
The 45-year-old suspect, who can be seen pouring petrol on the road outside the station just a few feet from occupied cars and buses before lighting it on fire in video footage shot by members of the public and shared on social media, was detained by officers at the scene and arrested “on suspicion of arson and a number of other offences”.
It is now being reported by The Sun and others that the suspect had “snapped” after being given the maximum possible fine for breaching state lockdown regulations, imposed across England in response to a so-called “second wave” of Chinese coronavirus infections.
The nature of the suspect’s lockdown breach or breaches is unclear, but fines can be ratcheted up from £1,000, £2,000, £4,000, to a maximum of £10,000 for repeat rule-breakers.
A £10,000 fine can also be imposed immediately for major breaches, such as organising large-scale unlawful gatherings — a punishment which has previously been meted out to anti-lockdown activist Piers Corbyn, elder brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, among others.
“This appears to have been an isolated incident and does not seem to be terror-related. I am satisfied that there is no wider risk to the community,” commented police commander Ade Adelekan.
“Local officers will continue to carry out enquiries, but at this stage we are not looking for anybody else,” Adelekan confirmed.
“I would like to thank the public for their response to the incident and would urge anyone with information about what happened to contact police.
“I also acknowledge the brave actions of local officers who confronted and arrested the suspect in a dangerous and challenging situation,” the commander added.
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