Man Throws Chemicals And Molotov Cocktail At Police Officers During Routine Stop
Footage has been released by the New York Police Department of a driver who assaulted a number of police officers last Saturday.
44-year-old Lionel Virgile was pulled over by two state police officers after he allegedly ran a red light. The video released shows what happened when the officer requested his driving license and registration.
The driver, Virgile, lowers his left hand to the door pocket when he’s asked to retrieve his documents, and the officer says it’s okay for him to open the door to make it easier for him to do so. But this quickly went wrong for the officer when the driver of the vehicle opened his door and through a cup of liquid, which was believed to be chemicals, over the officer who retreats back to the police car.
Today, a vehicle stop for running a red light proved once again that no traffic enforcement is “routine.” When approached, the driver doused a cop with a chemical before fleeing, tossing a Molotov cocktail — and finally being arrested. Fortunately, our officers weren’t injured. pic.twitter.com/WBDt89b7F6
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 17, 2021
The video stops here, but it’s reported that Virgile drove off before being pulled over by another pair of officers. This time, he throws a lit Molotov cocktail at the officer’s car which bounced off the windscreen and landed on the pavement. He drove off again and later hit an SUV before being taken into custody.
Another three molotov cocktails were found inside the vehicle, with new reports stating that because of this, Virgile may face federal “weapon of mass destruction” charges as well as attempted murder of a police officer. This carries a 20-year penalty.
