Man allegedly waves knife at kids, takes their tinnie, at Broadbeach Waters

A man allegedly waved a knife at 12-year-old children after losing his cool on a Gold Coast canal and taking his anger out on the wrong target. SEE THE VIDEO

POLICE are looking for a fisherman accused of chasing children through Gold Coast canals, waving a knife at them and making off with their tinnie.

Ollie Rogers, 13, and siblings Ari, 12, and Ava McDonald, 15, were chased on their way home to Broadbeach Waters after an angler mistakenly thought they sprayed him in their tinnie as he fished at Mermaid Waters.

It was another group of children who had harassed him.

When the boats took off the man gave chase – but to their horror, he mistakenly followed them instead.

“There were two or three just going in circles around him, spraying him,” Ava said.

“One was really annoying him. But there was more than one there.

“We went down the same route they did, but then we turned and he just started chasing us.”

The children said that when they reached their home they ran upstairs because the man started yelling and waving a knife.

“It was just like a fishing knife,” Ava said.

“That’s why we sprinted upstairs. ... It got a bit scary.

“He had an angry look on his face.”

Ran and Lisa McDonald with son Ari at their Broadbeach Waters home. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Peering over the balcony of their home, the children then saw the man towing their tinnie away. It has not been seen since, much to the distress of Ollie, who said he had bought the boat only four weeks ago after saving for many months.

Police told the Bulletin they were investigating the theft of the tinnie.

“No one has been charged at this stage,” a spokesperson said. “Investigations are ongoing.”

Ari and Ava’s father Ran said he was appalled that a grown man might behave in such a manner towards children.

“Kids shouldn’t be threatened by adults,” Mr McDonald said.

“There’s plenty of ways to take it back to their parents or the police or other appropriate people.

“The thought of them doing horrible things to your kids is for me one of the worst things you could have.”

Ari McDonald with his friend Oliver Rogers. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

Mr McDonald, managing director of the highly successful Powertec wireless technology business, said the ordeal had caused distress to his family.

“I’d normally be at home but I was at a late conference call at work,” Mr McDonald said.

“I was horrified. I came home to a distraught child, a distraught wife and distraught daughter.

“He (the man) is dangerous. He’s going to do something terrible to someone if we don’t get him off the water.”

Mr McDonald said he took his boat out the following Sunday, driving up and down Gold Coast canals in a bid to find the stolen tinnie, but to no avail.

A neighbour provided CCTV footage to the family. It shows a man chasing the children down a canal at speed and later leaving with their boat.

Mr McDonald is hoping the footage will help identify the man, and is appealing for anyone with information to contact police.

“It’s the robbery of a kid’s tinnie by an adult,” he said. “It’s a pretty heavy thing.”

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Originally published as Man allegedly waves knife at kids, takes their tinnie, at Broadbeach Waters