Berserk driver set free, for now
A MELBOURNE teen accused of trying to mow down pedestrians in an AFL Grand Final day car rampage had allegedly searched online for military bases, city landmarks and high-grade weapons.
The disturbing details emerged yesterday as the teen successfully applied to a children’s court to be freed into the community.
Police allege the 15-year-old boy took screenshots from Google maps of the location of multiple police stations around Melbourne, as well as Federal Square, various Aussie Disposal stores, gun shops and Defence bases.
His tablet also contained 21,000 images of vests, body armour, hand grenades, guns and rocket launchers.
The internet search log showed searches for “died city” and “Melbourne”.
Police allege the boy, dressed in combat-style clothes and armed with a knife and a baton, stole a car and drove erratically outside Flinders Street train station, swerving onto the footpath in an attempt to hit people, shortly before 8am on September 30.
CCTV footage played in court showed the car in several near misses with pedestrians, trams and other vehicles.
The boy was eventually tasered by police and arrested at the Swanston and Flinders St junction.
On the day, police were quick to rule out a terror attack. Investigators said they were treating the incident as mental health-related.
The court heard the boy had a disability and was obsessed with cars, trucks and the military.
The teen is charged with two counts of attempted murder, six counts of reckless conduct endangering life and two counts of assaulting an emergency service member.
A strict two-week plan with daily activities and interactions with youth and disability support networks was proposed to the court to start tomorrow if he was released.
It included trips to the zoo and suburban festivals with his family, as well as doctor visits and lessons with a tutor.
To eliminate risks, a safe has also been provided to the boy’s family to keep their car keys locked away from him.
The family must also ensure their cars are locked in a garage.
The presiding judge said she was satisfied the boy would not be a risk to the community.
But she ordered that he does not leave the house without his father or sister, who promised the court they would call the police immediately if he misbehaved.
The judge also forbade him from attending the CBD, and restricted his use of any device with an internet capability to only when he is supervised by his disability support worker.
He will return to court on January 31 to report on his progress.