Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-11-29 Daily Xml

Contents

Hindley Street Incident

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:30): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement regarding the police shooting in Hindley Street yesterday evening.

Leave granted.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: At 8.54pm yesterday evening, police were advised of a domestic related incident at Cumberland Park. The complainant stated that a male was seriously assaulting a female at the Cumberland Park location. Further information provided by the witness was that the alleged offender had threatened a neighbour and forced the female and two young children into a vehicle. SAPOL immediately commenced an investigation to locate that vehicle. The vehicle was subsequently located by police and pursued. At the intersection of Grand Junction Road and South Road road spikes were deployed. The vehicle was tracked through the city, including along Rundle Mall, before STAR patrols stopped the car in Hindley Street at 11.30pm yesterday evening.

Whilst being directed by police to get out of the car, the driver threatened one of the children with a firearm. At this point the driver was shot by a police officer. A 26-year-old male was arrested at the scene of the incident, before being taken to hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, where he remains under police guard. The female and the two children were safely removed from the vehicle and are being supported by SAPOL.

SAPOL has declared the incident to be significant. Consequently, a significant incident investigation will occur and will be overseen by the Major Crime Investigation Branch. SAPOL advises that the 26-year-old male has now been charged with a number of offences, including aggravated kidnapping, unlawful threats, acts to endanger life, use of a firearm to commit an offence and driving dangerously to escape police pursuit. SAPOL requests that anyone who witnessed the incident, or any of the events leading up to the incident in Hindley Street, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of our men and women in uniform, who regularly put their lives at risk in the pursuit of our community safety.