The policemen of the Messina State Police arrested a young man in flagrante delicto last night eighteen year old who was held responsible by the operators for having set a fire to the window of a bar located in via Catania.
The arrest occurred after the individual attempted to flee through the streets of the city on a scooter, later identified as stolen: the criminal action was discovered by an off-duty policeman, who noticed the young man with his face partially covered while he poured flammable liquid on the shop window and then set it on fire with a lighter.
The subsequent escape attempt was rapid: the young man reached a scooter with the engine running and fled along the tram lane. The alarm was immediately raised and other police cars intervened to try to stop the fugitive, who ignored repeated orders to stop, putting road safety at risk and challenging the police with a dangerous and counter-current route. The chase ended when the young man, exhausted after being constantly followed by police cars, abandoned the scooter, throwing it towards the officers and tried to escape on foot.
He was arrested after a brief physical resistance, during which he also caused injuries to the officers who intervened. At the crime scene, in the meantime, another squad car began to put out the fire with the fire extinguisher on board, waiting for the arrival of the Fire Brigade who completed the extinguishing operation. The arrested man was accused of damage followed by arson, resistance and injury to a public official, as well as receiving stolen goods for the theft of the scooter.
He was then taken to the local prison to await validation of the arrest by the Judicial Authority. It is underlined that, according to the constitutionally guaranteed right of freedom of the press, the arrested person is to be considered innocent until proven guilty, and the judicial process will determine the definitive outcome on his responsibility.
