Following an alleged run of botched robberies in Queensland’s Moreton Bay region, a guy is currently under police guard in the hospital.
According to police, a 32-year-old man entered a Deception Bay business through the back door at about 6.15 am and allegedly threatened a staff member with a gun and demanded the keys to a car.
However, the employee did not have access to a vehicle, so the man left and went to a nearby store where he once more demanded access to a vehicle.
A staff member was punched in the head during an encounter, but the man was unable to leave the scene by car once more, according to police.
Police received a tip that the same individual attempted to break into an ATM in Deception Bay around 9.45 p.m.
An orange flame from the oxy-acetylene torch the man used to unsuccessfully attempt to cut into the ATM can be seen on film.
The culprit left in a car as police arrived on the scene.
According to a witness, it appeared as though the man was heading toward a police car.
He appeared to be on a mission, according to a witness, and “looked like he was definitely aiming for the police car.”
“Really seemed like a wild goose chase; I saw the car flying up and down the street, the police pursuing him for a few laps, and the car was completely wrecked.”
Then, around one in the morning, a Hyundai Santa Fe attempted to enter a store in Margate, a neighborhood barely 20 minutes away from Deception Bay, but was unsuccessful.
With the aid of Polair, police began following the suspected offender’s vehicle as it traveled from Margate south on the Houghton Highway via the Gateway Motorway, the Logan Motorway, and finally the Cunningham Highway.
At an Aratula gas station where the automobile had stopped for fuel, police swooped in and took the driver into custody.
After experiencing a medical episode, the 32-year-old was brought to the Princess Alexandra Hospital where he is currently being guarded by police.
The investigation is still ongoing.
