Rajan Kumar in court for pulling knife in ‘crazy’ rampage on Bruce Hwy

An Indian restaurant manager believed he was being chased by a gang when he armed himself with a makeshift bayonet and ‘used his car as a weapon’ on the Bruce Hwy.

The service station worker was under the impression he was being ‘chased by a gang’ when he ran a red light, reversed into a car twice and presented an extended knife weapon in the middle of Gympie’s busiest intersection.

Amid a meth and stress-induced panic, the manager of a crumbling Indian restaurant armed himself with a makeshift weapon and went wild on the Bruce Highway, telling police he believed he was being chased by a gang.

Gympie Magistrates Court heard Rajan Kumar’s ‘crazy behaviour’ included the running of a red light and reversing twice into a car while brandishing a knife strapped to a broomstick in the middle of highway traffic.

The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to dangerously operating a vehicle and going armed in public to cause fear.

The court heard in the afternoon of December 16, 2020, the former Delights of India restaurant manager was driving home to Gympie from the Sunshine Coast when he stopped his car on the Bruce Highway, blocking both lanes.

Kumar then ran a red light in Gympie and pulled up at the intersection of Perseverance Street and Excelsior Rd.

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The police prosecutor said Kumar was positioned behind another car that was waiting to turn right when he became impatient.

“He was driving on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic and straight into the intersection, executing a right hand turn,” the police prosecutor said.

“The defendant has then stopped his vehicle in the middle of the lane and exited his vehicle, he has presented a 30cm butcher’s knife which had been attached with tape to a wooden broom handle to form an extended weapon.

“He had it in one hand and was waving it in the air in the direction of the vehicle (now behind him).”

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The victim then reversed their car away from Kumar as they were scared of what he would do to them, the court heard.

Kumar was said to have gotten back into his car and reversed straight into the victim’s vehicle twice.

“The defendant told police he was being followed by a gang and that he was trying to get away from them,” he said.

“He said he used his weapon to protect himself from the people that were following him.”

Solicitor Chris Anderson said Kumar was feeling stressed at the time as he felt responsible for the downfall of the Indian restaurant he was managing, and was also using methylamphetamine.

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“The restaurant fell apart because of Covid so he felt the brunt of that,” Mr Anderson said.

“There was paranoia present already and the methylamphetamine use made that situation much worse.”

Magistrate Chris Callaghan said Kumar was “impatient” and his behaviour on the day “crazy”.

“I’m sure the people you were waving the knife at didn’t want to see you again,” Mr Callaghan said.

“Your driving was so bad and so deliberate, you used your car as a weapon.”

Kumar received a four months suspended jail sentence. This will remain active for 12 months.

He was also disqualified from driving for six months.