Home UK Police open fire after Ukrainian ambassador’s car rammed in London

Police open fire after Ukrainian ambassador’s car rammed in London

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Police opened fire on a vehicle outside the Ukrainian embassy in west London after the driver deliberately and repeatedly rammed into the official car of the country's UK ambassador.

An official statement from the embassy said officers were called to the scene in the Holland Park area on Saturday morning and attempted to block the offending vehicle, but it continued to hit the car parked outside.

It was also driven at police officers, which the embassy said forced them "to open fire on the perpetrator's vehicle".

Image: A man in his 40s was arrested at the scene

Onlookers described seeing officers armed with sub-machine guns and a suspect being "wrestled" to the ground.

Scotland Yard confirmed that a man in his 40s was arrested at the scene and taken to a central London hospital as a precaution, following the use of firearms and a Taser.

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The ambassador, Natalia Galibarenko, was not at the embassy at the time and no other staff were injured.

Police said the man they arrested also suffered no injuries and that the incident is not being treated as terror-related.

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Damage is visible to the driver-side front window of a silver Mercedes car
Image: Damage could be seen on the driver-side front window of a silver Mercedes car

A neighbour who witnessed the arrest believes the suspect reversed into the ambassador's car while backing away from an oncoming police car.

Emma Slatter, who is Visa's general counsel, said: "It seems like he was moving erratically or wanting to move away from being boxed in, maybe not realising there were police behind him as well.

"That was when he collided backwards.

"I think I heard about half a dozen shots."

Police at the scene in Holland Park. Pic: Roni Greenfield
Image: Police at the scene in Holland Park. Pic: Roni Greenfield

Chief Superintendent Andy Walker, from the Met's specialist firearms command, said:"As is standard procedure, an investigation is now ongoing into the disRead More – Source

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