Footy tackle arrest earns police honour
A good old fashioned footy tackle to assist in a police arrest has earned Poowong’s John Mandemaker a Victoria Police citizen commendation honour.
John’s actions assisted a police officer during the arrest of an alleged offender outside the town’s IGA supermarket on July 3 last year.
When John heard the scream for help, intuition kicked in and he ran to the scene. He didn’t think twice, he knew someone needed help. That someone was a police officer who during an arrest was allegedly choked by an offender before John assisted.
The citation for John’s commendation reads: “For courage displayed and a will to act in coming to the aid of a member of Victoria Police who was being assaulted by a violent and potentially armed offender at Poowong on Saturday the 3rd July 2021. His selfless actions ensured the arrest of the offender and prevented the police member from being seriously injured.”
While humbled by the commendation, the Poowong post-officer said it was part of his community duty - “it was just one of those things that you do.”
Recalling the day’s events, John said he had been to Loch to help his daughter with a flat car battery. When he returned home, his wife Tracey told him about a series of alleged events that had unfolded around the town that day and police were still searching for an alleged offender.
John said he decided to not go inside, instead he stood on the street just watching. “I said to my daughter I might just keep an eye on this.”
He could see the alleged offender lingering around the supermarket and after a few minutes he heard a cry for help. “It just didn’t sound right.”
When John arrived at the supermarket he said he saw a violent scuffle between the officer and alleged offender during his arrest.
“I went in and tackled him, pinned him down and helped the officer handcuff him. Then the cavalry from the pub arrived, five or six young guys who had been involved earlier in the day.
“When I heard that cry for help I instantly went down to see if I could help out. It didn’t really dawn on me at the time what I might be walking into, I just knew something had to be done so I just did it.
Drawing on years of football experience, he said his assistance was literally like a football tackle.
“My past football skills come to the fore that’s for sure. Things can go pear shaped but if the same thing happened again I’d react the same way. “The officer was very thankful that I arrived when I did, he was very very grateful,” he said.
Baw Baw CIU detective sergeant Gordon Hynd said country policing was often different to city incidents and sometimes police had to rely on community members to assist.
He said in this incident, the officer was grateful John assessed the risk and intervened.
“Victoria Police are very grateful that he intervened at the time that he did because the consequence may have been far worse,” he said.
A Lang Lang man was charged with attempted armed robbery, attempted robbery, assault with a weapon, assaulting police and resisting arrest. He is due to appear in County Court in July.