Man not dancing properly at funeral led to argument, rolled over vehicle and arson attempt

Someone was not dancing properly at a funeral in Australia's Northern Territory on Friday afternoon. That caused an argument, a vehicle rollover involving two children and an alleged attempted arson. A 33-year-old man was attending a funeral at Alyangula, on Groote Eylandt.

Territory Duty Superintendent Jo Foley said: “There was a male who was at a funeral when an argument broke out over someone not dancing properly. It’s alleged he engaged in an argument with family. So the male allegedly stormed off and climbed into the driver’s seat of his ­Land Cruiser. There were already a number of people in the vehicle, including two children aged two and four.



“He revved it up, and allegedly attempted to slide it around a corner and it rolled over, and then he allegedly attempted to set the car on fire. Family members stopped him (from setting the car on fire) and then he allegedly ran off without offering assistance to the kids,” Duty Supt Foley added. It has not been confirmed that alcohol had been consumed. The alleged offender has yet to be found by police.

“We’ve got a lot of witnesses,” Duty Supt Foley said. “The children were taken to the clinic and they’re OK.” Duty Supt Foley said she was lacking information to say which dance was improper, which way it should have been performed, or which incorrect moves had been introduced. Alyangula is an Aboriginal community 624km east-southeast of Darwin off the Territory’s east coast. It has a population of between 1000 and 1500 people.