A 40-year-old Giralang man will face the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday morning charged with acts endangering life after he allegedly doused the inside of a southside restaurant with petrol amid a heated dispute with another person on Wednesday afternoon.
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It is understood that quick-thinking bystanders stopped the man at Kusina Restaurant at Cooleman Court in Weston.
An ACT Policing spokesman said police were on the scene within minutes. Fire trucks were also called to the restaurant on Wednesday afternoon.
The spokesman said the outburst was not related to the restaurant.
"A male has returned with a can of petrol that he's poured inside the restaurant," said.
"He was quickly stopped by bystanders. There were approximately 12 customers in the restaurant at the time. There were no injuries."
The restaurant owners said on Wednesday that it would be closed overnight.
Kusina's owners also posted a statement about the incident on Facebook, saying the restaurant had been the scene of a private altercation through unfortunate coincidence.
"We have had quite an eventful afternoon in Weston Creek. Our Kusina restaurant was the unfortunate coincidental location of a private altercation, during which there was minor damage to the restaurant (no injury to people). Police and fire crews attended and have since given the restaurant an 'all clear'," it said.
"Staff are giving the restaurant a deep clean and at this stage it looks like we will be open again from lunchtime tomorrow (Thu 11th Sep). A big thanks to the police and fire crews who attended and to our staff who are working hard so we can reopen our doors as quickly as possible."
Kusina is a popular suburban restaurant serving Filipino food in Cooleman Court and is a hub for Canberra's Filipino community.