By Cassandra Morgan
A wanted man has died after he ran from police into a shopping centre in Melbourne’s south-east, and was Tasered after he injured himself inside a toilet block.
Officers from the Croydon family violence investigation unit went to an apartment near Lynbrook Village Shopping Centre about 1.10pm on Friday to arrest the man over family violence matters.
The 36-year-old, who had no fixed address and was staying at a friend’s place, jumped off the apartment’s balcony when he noticed police, homicide squad Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said.
Police followed the man as he ran into the nearby shopping centre, but lost track of him and had to search the centre, Thomas said.
They later went into a female public toilet and noticed what appeared to be the footwear of a man beneath a closed cubicle door.
“They’ve forced the door and noticed the male that they were wanting to apprehend was in there, and it was clear that he had injured himself with what appeared to be an edged weapon,” Thomas told reporters.
Police at Lynbrook Village Shopping Centre on Friday afternoon.Credit: Nine News
“He was still holding that weapon, and a Taser was deployed at that point in time, and he was taken into custody.”
Police immediately gave the man first aid before paramedics arrived and took over, Thomas said. They brought him into an ambulance at the back of the shopping centre as they waited for an air ambulance to arrive, but the man died before it landed.
Homicide squad detectives were called in to investigate the incident with oversight from Professional Standards Command, the body within the police force that deals with deaths in custody.
The officers involved in the incident were taken to Dandenong police station, where they were tested for drugs and alcohol and asked to explain what happened, Thomas said.
Thomas briefed the State Coroner about the incident and said a duty coroner would attend the shopping centre to familiarise herself with the scene.
“[This] will assist, obviously, the coroner with any future inquest that will be held,” he said.
“He was armed [when officers opened the toilet door], and he was still threatening at that point in time, and he was Tasered, and it was clear at that point that he’d injured himself with the knife.
“The post-mortem examination will be done, and that will occur tomorrow, and we’ll be in a better position to understand what has caused his death. But at this stage, it would appear that the injury that he has inflicted upon himself has certainly led to his death.”
The officers involved in the incident were “very shaken up” and some shoppers were probably traumatised by what they saw, Thomas said.
Police urged anyone with information or footage to come forward. They also offered support to anyone who witnessed the incident and needed help.
If you or anyone you know needs support, call Lifeline on 131 114 or beyondblue on 1800 512 348.
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