Early morning mayhem
Car chase, childcare lockdown, standoff with armed man, arrests
A DRAMATIC police chase has ended in chaos in Kirwan and a dangerous standoff with a man armed with a replica handgun on a Tibarri Street rooftop, police allege.
The day started with an allegedly stolen Triton spotted at a Rasmussen shopping centre, with two men later seen driving on the wrong side of Riverway Drive about 8.30am.
A police pursuit was launched, with a number of cop cars seen chasing the pair, including an undercover car driving on the wrong side of the street in an attempt to stop it.
The Mitsubishi Triton allegedly rammed a police car and police pursued it before deploying spikes, which deflated one of the tyres.
The car crashed into a pole on the side of Ross River Road, with the driver arrested at the crash site.
An older woman was seen gardening near the power pole in the moments before the crash.
The other man ran to nearby houses and climbed across rooftops before he was cornered on the roof a Tibarri Street home, where armed police units cordoned off the area and began negotiations with the man who refused to come down.
District Duty Officer Senior Sergeant Scot Warrick said negotiators did a good job to achieve a peaceful outcome.
“(It will be alleged) this person was erratic, he was making threats,” he said.
“The fact that they’ve been able to manage a peaceful outcome in such a short period of time is a credit to what they do. There were some experienced staff there but also some very junior staff who acted professionally and in a very speedy manner,” he said. “These things can go bad very quickly, and we try to make sure that we have things in place before that happens.”
The man was arrested and taken into custody after 45 minutes of negotiations, and police alleged they found a replica firearm inside a backpack left at the scene. More than 20 police officers were involved in the standoff, which took place near a childcare centre that was also placed into lockdown.
Power was cut to the area during negotiations after the man was seen holding power lines.
“We have to respond in a manner that assumes the worst,” Sen-sgt Warrick said, who confirmed police were armed with two rifles. “We respond in the way we do that can cause some disruption to the community.
“Yes, I apologise for that but in order to keep them safe and keep my officers safe, we have to respond in a certain way.”
A 31-year-old Millchester man and a 26-year-old Douglas man have been charged with a number of offences, including unlawful use of a motor vehicle, various property offences including stealing and enter premises with intent.
They will both appear in Townsville Magistrates Court this morning.