Salar Morsali-Yekan, 40, from Underwood, jailed for hitting teen with car at shopping centre

A vigilante business owner who injured a teenager by using his car as a weapon by pinning the boy to a wall with his car has been jailed.

Salar Morsali-Yekan was jailed in Beenleigh District Court for dangerous operation of a vehicle causing grievous bodily harm

A vigilante business owner who ploughed into a teenager, forcing them up against a wall with his car following a high-speed pursuit, has been jailed.

Salar Morsali-Yekan saw three teenage boys allegedly breaking into homes in the Logan suburb of Underwood and pursued them in his car while carrying a baseball bat on October 20, 2020, a court has heard.

He made phone calls to police who told him to wait until they arrived but he ignored them.

Video footage captured on a closed-circuit TV security camera and played to the Beenleigh District Court on May 26 showed Morsali-Yekan find the three children outside a 7-Eleven convenience store.

The 40-year-old business owner followed them while speeding across the wrong side of the road towards the Zone Underwood shopping centre on Kingston Rd.

One of the boys, a 14-year-old, was standing up against a wall at the shops when Morsali-Yekan drove up onto a kerb and into him quickly, pinning him against the wall.

The scene at Zone Underwood Shopping Centre in Logan where a business owner pinned a teenager to the wall with his car on October, 2020. Picture: Annette Dew

As the footage was played to the court, gasps could be heard from the gallery of the courtroom, as Morsali-Yekan’s car smashed into the child.

The boy suffered serious internal injuries, lost a significant amount of blood, had multiple pelvic fractures and was in hospital for two months.

The court heard the teenager was now unable to do physical activities like baseball anymore and will have lifelong injuries.

Morsali-Yekan pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle causing grievous bodily harm for the attack.

Crown prosecutor Catherine Burkett said the fact he didn’t help the teen after and refused to stop his pursuit were serious factors.

“He was using a powerful car as a weapon. He refused to call for help and instead went home,” she said.

Judge Craig Chowdhury said people cannot take the law into their own hands.

“You intended to scare them but this was catastrophic,” he said.

“You also should have helped once you hit him.”

Morsali-Yekan was sentenced to four years prison, to be suspended after nine months.

He was disqualified absolutely from driving.