A famous Belgian clown known for performing in children’s hospitals live-streamed a rooftop standoff with armed police after allegedly murdering his ex-girlfriend.
Kevin Lapeire, who rose to fame on Belgium’s Got Talent, streamed a video of himself on Facebook in which he could be seen standing on the top of a building waving a gun and firing it.
The stand-off lasted for several hours before he eventually surrendered to armed police and was arrested.
The 31-year-old, known as Clown Tobi, had split up from his partner – a 47-year-old mother-of-three – a few days prior to the incident.
According to Belgian media he had visited her home in Oudenberg on Sunday night, which is Mother's Day in the country.
He is accused of tying up her three children, aged 12, 15 and 17, killing their mother in the garage with a knife before going on the run. Some reports said he also filmed the killing.
The clown is alleged to have said to the children that he was a “crimi-clown” and a “monster” during the ordeal.
After going on the run he was spotted on top of a 13-storey apartment building in Bredene on Monday, where he broadcasted a Facebook Live video showing himself brandishing the weapon and firing into the sky.
After four hours he surrendered and was arrested. Dietwin Haegeman, 38, a comic yodeller who often appeared alongside Clown Tobi, was also arrested.
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