A man was taken down by police after he started a fire at a gas station north of downtown late Thursday afternoon.
Officers and firefighters responded to the Shell gas station on 107 Avenue and 112 Street at approximately 5:30 p.m.
The store clerk and a witness confirmed a man, upset about a lotto ticket, left the store and set fire to the nozzle of a gas pump.
The clerk said he was able to shut the pump down before the fire spread.
When police arrived they said the man “put his fists up” and refused to comply, so officers pepper-sprayed him.
CTV News Edmonton was on scene as the man was handcuffed and taken away in an ambulance. Police said he has minor injuries.
A Shell employee told CTV News Edmonton at the scene “someone tried to blow up the pump.”
A woman who witnessed the incident and says she knows the suspect told CTV News the man, “had a mental breakdown,” before setting the fire. The woman also spoke to police at the scene.
An Edmonton Fire Rescue Services spokesperson said firefighters responded with seven trucks, but did not witness any active flames by the time they arrived.
There was no major damage, and no one else was injured, EPS said.
Charges are pending but an officer could not confirm exactly what the man may be charged with.
