POLICE have arrested the 43-year-old male involved in a fearful incident at Leongatha South on Tuesday, December 13.
He was arrested this morning (Thursday) without incident in Morwell.
However, after the knife-wielding, hit-and-run, car-jacker was seen speeding away from the scene of the crimes near the corner of Toschs Road and Rougheads Road around lunchtime last Tuesday, he continued to wreak havoc elsewhere between here and the Latrobe Valley.
According to police, who have been praised by the community for taking the offender into custody, the man also stole a car in Strzelecki and caused issues in Moe and Yallourn before his arrest this morning.
Here is the Sentinel-Times' report, after visiting the scene last Tuesday afternoon:
MYSTERY surrounds a bizarre and fearful incident which shattered the rural tranquillity of Leongatha South on Tuesday afternoon, December 13.
Less than 24 hours after the shocking events in regional Queensland, local police were called to a highly volatile situation near the corner of Toschs Road and Rougheads Road, 15km south of Leongatha
According to local residents a male offender, allegedly travelling at high speed along Rougheads Road, slewed around the gravel corner at Toschs Road and collided with a semi-trailer, reportedly carrying supplies for a local vineyard.
But that’s when the incident got totally out of control with the offender running away from the scene and stealing a series of utes and cars, and at one stage brandishing a knife and threatening a local farmer and his wife.
Police media has provided a report of what took place:
“Police are investigating an incident in Leongatha on December 13,” they said.
“It’s believed an unknown male collided with a truck on Toschs Road at about 12.30pm.
“The driver of the car left the scene on foot. He then threatened the driver of a vehicle in a nearby paddock with a small knife, stealing that vehicle which then collided with a tractor on the driveway of the property.
“The male then approached the house on the property and made demands to a female occupant for another vehicle whilst armed with a small knife.
“The male then drove off in this vehicle and is yet to be located at this stage.
“No one was physically injured during the incidents.”
But anything could have happened.
A local resident of Toschs Road said the male offender ran off into a nearby dairy farm after colliding with the semi-trailer, writing off the car he was driving, then stealing a farm ute.
However, as the offender was attempting to exit on an alternate farm driveway, he has collided, head-on, with a large Fendt tractor, towing a cow effluent trailer.
The carjacker hit the front left-hand wheel of the tractor so hard, he buckled the wheel, deflated the tyre and extensively damaged the early-model Toyota Landcruiser ute.
According to a local farmer, the driver of the tractor believed the offender was travelling at 60km/h when he hit the tractor, while the victim was sitting in the cabin of the tractor.
It is alleged that the offender got out of the second crashed vehicle, threatened the tractor driver with the knife and then ran back up the driveway towards the house.
Sometime later, he was seen driving across nearby paddocks, in another stolen car, ultimately crashing through a farm fence to again reach Rougheads Road and drive off, at high speed.
It has also been reported that the offender later stole another car in Korumburra, although police have not confirmed this report.
At this stage, it is not known what the motivation was for the hit-and-run, carjacking incident or the extent to which police chased or followed the offender.
A Toschs Road local said a large number of police attended the scene around lunchtime on Tuesday, and while they were concerned about the reports of threats, and also the damage to and theft of property, they reassured victims that the best thing was that the man left the area without causing further harm.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
