Gunman charged who allegedly threatened child and was shot by police
Assistant Commissioner Paul Dickson talking to reporters after the drama in Adelaide. Photo: SA police video still shot
A man who allegedly threatened a three-year-old girl with a firearm after abducting her, a woman and another child and driving along Adelaide’s Rundle Mall has been shot by police in the CBD.
SA Police said just before 9pm yesterday the 26-year-old man abducted a 23-year-old woman, the three-year-old girl and a seven-month-old boy from Cumberland Park.
The man was charged on Tuesday afternoon with aggravated kidnapping, unlawful threats, acts to endanger life, using a firearm to commit an offence and dangerous driving to escape a police pursuit.
Officers spotted the car, with all four inside, travelling on Marion Road in South Plympton at 10.20pm and it was tracked by the police helicopter to Port Adelaide.
The car’s tyres were spiked at the intersection of Grand Junction and South Road about 11.10pm but the car kept going into the city via North East Road, along Rundle Mall and into Hindley Street.
Assistant Commissioner Paul Dickson said the man was shot in Hindley Street after the vehicle was stopped by police.
“They [police officers] attempted to arrest the offender,” he said.
“It will be alleged that the offender threatened the three-year old girl with the firearm and that’s when a decision was made for the police officer to fire at the offender.”
“It’s a terrible incident for both the people involved, because you couldn’t imagine how horrific it would have been for the young mother and the two children.”
“And also it is a very difficult incident for the police to manage because we have got three people in the car [with the offender].”
Police ‘smashed window’ of car
Hindley Street mini-mart operator Rupam said he saw the shooting.
“They [the police] smashed the window,” he said.
“They shot him and took him out of the car, and then all the police covered everything.”
Police said the man was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment of a non-life threatening gunshot wound.
The woman suffered minor injuries and the children were not physically injured.
Police shoot man on Hindley St, after he allegedly threatened young child with a gun following wild chase #TenNews pic.twitter.com/Ng54qbFoPr
— Phoebe Bowden (@PhoebeBowden) November 28, 2016
