Monday, the Langley Advance reported that former Washington Capitals enforcer Stephen Peat was arrested in British Columbia after allegedly attempting to set his father Walter’s home on fire following an argument.
Peat spent parts of six seasons in the Washington Capitals organization. He was a veteran of 33 NHL fights, putting up some of the most brutal bouts in the team’s history. He had a bunch of heart and was a huge fan favorite.
Details of the incident are scant.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported that on March 17, there was a dispute of some kind between the father and son in the afternoon, which revived again in the evening.
The father had apparently gone to bed for the night when the fire was lit sometime after 10 p.m.
A passerby saw the act of arson and attempted to stop the incident, said Marks.
The eyewitness accounts led police to declare the fire an arson almost immediately.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at 10:39 p.m. and three halls put the fire out, but the house suffered severe damage, as did vehicles in the driveway. No one was hurt in the fire, as the father escaped the house and a basement suite tenant was not home at the time.
Peat was charged with one count of arson with a disregard for human life, and one count of arson causing damage to property. Peat turned himself into police on Thursday two days after the incident. He made his first appearance in a B.C. court on Monday.
