Business owner confronted thieves at knifepoint during brazen robbery
A 66-year-old man was threatened with a knife while trying to stop three thieves who stole a four-wheel drive from his truck rental business and set four other vehicles on fire using an accelerant. FULL INTERVIEW
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A 66-year-old man was threatened with a knife while trying to stop three thieves who stole a four-wheel drive from his truck rental business and set four other vehicles on fire.
Warren West, the owner of Network Car and Truck Rentals in Industrial Ave in Svensson Heights, Bundaberg received an alarm notification for his business while sleeping in his Bundaberg North home around 1.15am.
Upon arrival at his business Mr West found three thieves in the process of stealing a Toyota Prado from the premises.
When Mr West used his own black Toyota Prado to block the thieves from leaving, they rammed his vehicle with the stolen Prado.
Mr West then exited his vehicle and confronted the three thieves, who he described as young and slender build, wearing hoodies and masks.
One of the thieves attacked Mr West with a knife, causing a minor injury to his hand.
While Mr West was struggling with the alleged attacker, the other thieve used a liquid fire accelerant to set fire to the four wheel drive vehicle that they had arrived in, with the fire spreading to a motorhome next to the vehicle.
A gas bottle in the motorhome exploded, setting fire to three other vehicles.
After the initial attack, Mr West went looking for a weapon he could use to defend himself and then ran to get a fire extinguisher from his office after the fire took hold of the vehicles.
“I was looking for a piece of pipe I could swing at them,” Mr West said.
“I’d run down to get some fire extinguishers, but it was going too fast.”
While Mr West was trying to put out the fire, the thieves left the scene in the Toyota Prado, also taking the keys to all the remaining vehicles on the lot.
Police arrived shortly after the thieves departed.
Mr West estimated a cost of around $600,000 to replace the vehicles and repair the damage caused through the incident.
The theft of the keys occurred despite efforts by Mr West to make them more secure after recent thefts and break-ins in the area.
He said youth crime was becoming more of an issue for himself as a business owner and the region generally.
“It’s a bigger problem all the time, it’s becoming a major issue,” Mr West said.
“How you stop it I don’t really know.
“We’ll just have to get up and keep going.”
Detective Sergeant Ryan Gordon from Bundaberg police said the stolen Toyota Prado was subsequently been located on fire on Goodwood Rd at Kinkuna.
Det. Sgt. Gordon said police are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry including a forensic examination of the vehicle the alleged offenders had arrived in.
Police could not confirm reports that the vehicle was stolen from Kingaroy, nor whether the offenders were from the Bundaberg region.
Police are appealing for anyone with information or relevant vision to come forward.
The robbery and arson attack comes after a 15-year-old girl was wounded in an unrelated attack at Bundaberg South on Monday afternoon.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting.
Report crime information anonymously via Crime Stoppers. Call 1800 333 000 or report online at www.crimestoppersqld.com.au.
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