Woman, 19, arrested after ‘car on fire’ with two children trapped inside

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A 19-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a car was “deliberately set on fire” with two defenseless children inside.

The two children were brought to safety by their mother and a neighbor who called the police after the alleged arson attack in Leeds, West Yorkshire, on Thursday.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “On Thursday 18 July at 10.52pm a woman reported that her car had been deliberately set on fire whilst her two children were still in the vehicle in Tong Way, Leeds.

“She and a neighbor got the children to safety and they were checked over by the ambulance staff without any problem.

“A 19-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with the incident and remains in custody. Investigations are ongoing.”

It comes after a man was charged in a separate incident when a double-decker bus was set on fire during riots that broke out on the streets of Leeds on the same day.

Iustin Dobre, 37, of Harehills, Leeds, was charged with violent disorder and reckless arson to endanger life and will appear in court on Monday.

Police confirmed no one was injured during the riot and urged anyone with information to come forward as inquiries continue.

Police said the riot broke out as officers responded to reports of social workers facing hostility when dealing with a child protection issue.

As the children were moved to safety around 5pm, crowds gathered and the situation escalated, with objects thrown at the police.

As the disorder escalated, Deputy Chief Constable Pat Twiggs said officers were forced to withdraw as it became “obvious that the police were their only target”.

“As the disturbance escalated, damage was caused to vehicles and several fires broke out,” Mr Twiggs said.

“We continuously assessed the situation and took the decision to deploy specialist public order officers who then came under a barrage of bricks and rockets from a large group.”