A woman has been tasered by police after allegedly lighting a fire inside a petrol station in Melbourne’s southeast overnight.
The woman also allegedly assaulted a shop attendant at the 7-Eleven at 19-37 Punt Road in Windsor about 12.30am.
The console attendant was not physically injured.
General duties Police, who were on the scene within minutes, allege the 46-year-old woman, who was armed with accelerant, resisted arrest.
“The woman was non-compliant and force was used including baton strikes and the deployment of a taser,” police said.
Video of the incident shows one police officer confronting the woman, who was dressed in loose white clothing, yelling at her to get on the ground.
The officer then appears to kick and hit the woman, who then allegedly tries to run away.
The woman was then tasered and arrested.
Police said the fire was extinguished, with the building sustaining only minor damage.
French tourist Gerard, who had only been in the country for an hour, witnessed the incident. He said police arrived very quickly and described the events as “crazy”.
“(It was) my first shop (in Australia) and seeing that with my girlfriend, it was really crazy to see that in our first hour in the country,” Gerard said. ‘‘We were really scared about a big explosion.”
The woman has since been charged with criminal damage by fire, theft, resist police and unlawful assault.
She has been bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on 2 May 2025.
A visit to the site this afternoon revealed it’s open and trading as normal with petrol prices at a cycle high.
