Police detained a man yesterday after he drove at the Ukrainian ambassador’s car and other vehicles in London, stopping only after officers opened fire, London’s Metropolitan Police and the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.
The incident occurred shortly before 10am (0900 GMT).
The police said that a man in his 40s was arrested after officers opened fire and used a taser to subdue him near the embassy in London’s Holland Park area.
The force said it responded to an earlier report of “anti-social behaviour involving a car” in the areas.
“The official vehicle of the ambassador of Ukraine to the UK was deliberately rammed as it sat parked in front of the embassy of Ukraine’s building,” a statement from the embassy said.
It said that police were called and quickly blocked the suspect vehicle, but the driver hit the ambassador’s car again.
“No-one of the embassy staff were injured,” the embassy said.
The police also said that no one was injured in the incident, including the suspect, who was taken to a central London hospital “as a precaution”.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said that the ambassador’s vehicle was “deliberately rammed as it sat parked in front of the embassy”.
It said that police are investigating “the suspect’s identity and motive for the attack”.
TV footage later showed a silver car slewed across the cordoned-off road with its driver’s door open and window shattered.
The incident is not being treated as terrorist-related, the police said in a statement.
“As is standard procedure, an investigation is now ongoing into the discharge of a police firearm during this incident,” said Chief Superintendent Andy Walker, from the Met’s firearms command.
“While this takes place, I would like to pay tribute to the officers involved in this incident who responded swiftly to this morning’s incident and put themselves in harm’s way as they do every day to keep the people of London safe,” Walker said.