Robert Kyle Kimber and Robert Hugh Shaw: Duo in court for throwing ‘baseball-sized’ rocks at Pacific Mwy motorists

Two young Logan men have landed in court after throwing about 50 rocks, some as “big as a baseball”, at unsuspecting motorists along on the Pacific Motorway, including an ambulance.

Two young Logan men have landed in court after throwing about 50 rocks, some as “big as a baseball”, at unsuspecting motorists along on the Pacific Motorway, including an ambulance.

Robert Kyle Kimber, 20, and Robert Hugh Shaw, 19, both pleaded guilty in district court at Beenleigh on Friday to one count of endangering the safe use of vehicles and related transport infrastructure and four counts of wilful damage.

Robert Hugh Shaw, 19, and Robert Kyle Kimber, 20, leaving Beenleigh courthouse.

The court heard the co-offenders were captured on security cameras throwing rocks from the Beenleigh-Eagleby footbridge onto the Pacific Motorway about 1.30am on February 27, 2021.

There were about 50 sharp rocks later found across all lanes on the motorway and security cameras captured four cars pulling over with their hazard lights on appearing to have flat tires.

Police attended and put on their hazard lights while the scene was cleared and observed another three cars pulling over with flat tires.

Police received four complaints from motorists who had been hit by rocks at the overpass during the incident which cost $2,808 in total for the damaged vehicles.

The court heard a truck driver working for a food company had a rock “the size of a baseball” smash through his front windscreen and the broken glass cut his arm.

A Queensland Ambulance vehicle, with no patients inside, was also hit by a rock and left with a large crack in the windscreen forcing the ambulance to be out of commission until it was repaired.

The court heard police located Kimber and Shaw after they attempted to run away from the scene and the pair denied throwing the rocks.

Kimber later attended the Beenleigh police station and made admissions to throwing rocks for about half an hour and said he was aware of the flat tires but denied being aware of any other damage.

He said the pair had been at Shaw’s home drinking a significant amount of alcohol before the incident.

Judge Craig Chowdhury said he took the two offender’s youthful age and lack of criminal history into account during sentencing.

“Someone could have easily been killed or rendered a quadriplegic for the rest of their life — that’s how serious this was,” he said.

Kimber and Shaw were both sentenced to two years probation. Convictions were recorded.