THE HERO TOOWOOMBA NEEDS
DAD TACKLES KNIFE-WIELDING ROBBER
JUMPING to the aid of the women and children around him, Jeremi Simpson said he “just acted” when he tackled an armed robber in Drayton on Friday afternoon.
The Toowoomba father is being hailed as a hero after he and two other men bundled a man threatening a 16-year-old cashier with a knife.
“I didn’t even think twice, I thought something has gotta be done,” he said.
Three shoppers, who ditched their groceries and detained a man brandishing a knife for 15 minutes before police arrived at a city supermarket, have saved dozens of people from a terrifying ordeal.
One of those people was a teenage girl manning the checkout at the Drayton Woolworths.
Her mother Gen Fairbanks told The Chronicle that Jeremi Simpson’s citizen’s arrest saved the day.
“Thank you so much for stepping in and helping without a second thought,” she said.
“The outcome could have been very different without people like Jeremi and it’s so nice to know there are still good people out there.
“It was so nice that he was concerned about how my daughter was and was asking after her on Facebook.
“I’m glad he was able to know how much we appreciated his help that day.”
Recounting his adrenalinefuelled actions that stopped the armed robber in his tracks, Mr Simpson said protecting his wife and child was the only thing going through his mind.
“I had my young son with me so I pushed him in the trolley to the side,” he said.
“Someone bumped him and I just bear hugged the guy. I thought he’s gotta be stopped, especially seeing the 16-yearold girl at the counter.
“You could see in her eyes she was terrified and a bit shaken but I’ve got kids and you just do what you gotta do. I sized him up pretty quickly.”
While he has been flooded with messages of support, Mr Simpson said he was just in the right place at the right time and did what was necessary.
“I would do the same thing over and over again,” he said.
“It was a pretty long 15 minutes.”