SHELL SHOCK CHASE
HOW BIZARRE A stolen dead turtle, a bicycle getaway, a homemade gun and a wild citizens’ arrest.
A MAN who fled a store on a bicycle, carrying a stolen taxidermied turtle under his arm was chased down and tied up in a dramatic citizen’s arrest after his escape was foiled by a freight train.
The bizarre drama played out in broad daylight with the thief allegedly pulling a homemade gun on the men trying to hold him down at Separation St about 1.15pm yesterday.
The chase began when the thief left How Bazaar in North Geelong with the $500 turtle under his arm.
Store owner Peter Summers jumped in his ute and employee Jarrod gave chase on foot, pursuing the wanted man for more than 500m.
“We went to the counter to check if he’d paid and he didn’t, so we chased him. He tried to run and get away, so I pulled the car in and he virtually ran into the front of the car, then Jarrod grabbed him,” Mr Summers said.
“He tried to get up while I was on the phone to 000 and went to his bag and pulled out what we thought was a pipe bomb.
“He was trying to screw it, that’s when we realised he was trying to set it off.”
Peter Murphy, from Peter Murphy Automotive, said he sprung into action when he saw the scene unfold metres from his shop.
The mechanic said he grabbed cable ties to help restrain the man and started calling 000. But delays on the line meant it took more than 10 minutes before being connected to an operator.
“There was a struggle and when he’s gone for his bag that’s when we realised he had a gun, a pipe gun, it was loaded,” Mr Murphy said.
“He had two shells in t there. “I just said take these ties.” A Whittington man, aged in his late 20s, is facing theft and firearms charges.
Police, who arrived at the scene, seized the turtle, while paramedics treated the man.
Mr Summers said he was fed up with crime in Greater Geelong with shop thefts a weekly issue for his small collectables business.
And to make things worse, his Barwon Heads home was ransacked during a burglary two weeks earlier.
Detective Senior Constable Danny Drever said the man was taken to Geelong hospital for treatment and would be interviewed at a later time.
The homemade firearm and the turtle were taken back to the Geelong police station for further analysis.
Investigations are continuing.