ARSON 22-17212

ARSON AND WEAPON INVESTIGATION

London man facing charges

LONDON, ON (March 2, 2022) – A London man is facing charges after a citizen reported a fire in the south end of the city late Monday night. 

Shortly after 10 p.m., on February 28, 2022, emergency crews responded to a report of a vehicle on fire in the 1000-block of Wellington Road. 

Upon police arrival, a man fled from the vehicle on foot. When officers approached the man, he brandished a pair of scissors. The suspect refused to drop the weapon, and was uncooperative with police. With the assistance of a conductive energy weapon (CEW), officers arrested the suspect. 

There were no reported injuries. 

Officers viewed video surveillance from the area, which captured the suspect starting the fire. 

Members of the London Fire Department extinguished the fire. 

As a result of the investigation, Scott Richard Lawrence Whitehead, 34, of London, has been charged with the following Criminal Code offences: 

• Arson causing damage to property;
• Possession of a weapon; and
• Resist arrest.

The accused appeared in London court yesterday in relation to the charges. 

Anyone with information in relation to this incident is asked to call the London Police Service at (519) 661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Information can also be sent in online anonymously to London Elgin Middlesex Crime Stoppers. 

For media inquiries, contact: 

Cst. Sandasha Bough
Media Relations Officer
C. 519-854-8576
Email. Media Officer 

22-17212