Man who threw petrol bomb at police jailed

Police custody shot of a short-haired man who has dark eyes and stubble and is looking straight at the cameraImage source, Lincolnshire Police
Image caption,

David Wiatrowski threatened police with an imitation gun in Boston, Lincolnshire Police say

  • Published

A man who threw a petrol bomb and pointed an imitation gun at police has been jailed.

On Friday, David Wiatrowski, 37, of Bradford Road, Boston, appeared at Lincoln Crown Court where he was sentenced to five years and eight months imprisonment.

In July, he was found guilty of attempting to cause an explosion with intent to endanger life. In February, Wiatrowski admitted possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, affray and criminal damage.

Police said Wiatrowski claimed to be "bored of life, feeling depressed" when he used a hammer to smash the windows of an Aldi store in Boston on New Year's Day, before confronting officers who arrived to arrest him.

At the time of the incident, police said Wiatrowski had what appeared to be a firearm in a holster on his right hip.

He shouted to officers to get back in their vehicle as he lit a rag in a bottle and threw it towards them, before making a motion with the gun as if preparing to fire it.

Wiatrowski fled the scene but was arrested 10 days later after a member of the public responded to an appeal.

After sentencing, Det Con Jamie McCormack praised the officers involved for responding "swiftly and selflessly to protect the public".

He added: "I would like to thank the many teams involved in this investigation across Lincolnshire Police and regionally, which led to the identification and arrest of Wiatrowski."

Composite image showing two photos of a man standing next to a petrol pump on a garage forecourt. In one shot he is looking up towards the camera. In the other he is looking at the pump with a bottle in his left hand. He has a shaven head and is wearing a dark-grey jacket and blue trousers.Image source, Lincolnshire Police
Image caption,

Wiatrowski was caught on CCTV attempting to fill a drinking bottle with petrol

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here, external.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store, external for iPhone and iPad or Google Play, external for Android devices

Related topics

More on this story

Related internet links