Police in bulletproof vests arrest man weilding fake pistol at popular northern beaches lookout
Police took no chances, donning bulletproof vests, to arrest a man they thought was pointing a real gun at a popular northern beaches lookout.
Manly
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A man who police feared was ready to use an automatic handgun — capable of firing 1200 rounds per minute — has been captured in a dramatic arrest at a popular northern beaches lookout.
Officers, wearing bulletproof vests, stormed a car parked at the Freshwater Lookout after the man was seen pointing the black and silver pistol out of a window.
A member of the public called triple zero just after 3pm on Wednesday when he twice saw Zac Lawrence Walsh, 20, of Ryde, wave what appeared to be a real firearm out of the driver’s side window in the carpark off Lumsdaine Dr.
Northern Beaches Police crime manger Mick Boutouridis said officers wore the bulletproof vests because the federal government’s National Terrorism Threat level was at ‘Probable’.
The firearm was actually a replica Glock-18 air pistol — known as a Gel Blaster — designed to shoot gel-filled pellets, not real bullets.
But the gun did not have the usual markings associated with replica or toy guns — a vivid orange plug at the end of its barrel and an orange trigger.
In a facts sheet tendered to Manly Local Court on Thursday, police said that they told Walsh at the scene: “If you pulled that out on one of us you would be shot.”
Walsh replied: “O yer”.
He was charged with possession of a prohibited firearm and possess ammunition without holding a permit.
Police said that Walsh parked his Toyota Corolla at the lookout, near the Harbord Diggers, about 3pm and pulled the gun from the inside of the car and pointed it towards the ground.
A man, who saw the gun, left the carpark because he thought it was a real pistol. A short time later a woman, who Walsh knew, drove into the car park and got into the passenger seat of his car.
Walsh then held the pistol outside of the driver’s side window and pointed it over the bonnet of his car.
“This too was witnessed by (the man) who called 000 due to his safety concerns,” the facts sheet said.
“A short time later police arrived who were wearing their ballistics vests due to a possible firearm.”
They ordered the couple to put their hands up. Walsh said he had a Gel Blaster in the car.
Police ordered Walsh to the ground and handcuffed him behind his back before finding the gun wedged into a door compartment.
A search of the glovebox revealed a silencer for the gun; a plastic container filled with gel pellets and a magazine for the gun, also containing pellets.
Walsh spent the night at Manly Police Station before his appearance in court.
Inspector Boutouridis said outside court that the Gel Blasters — which are legal in Queensland — look like real guns.
“Police will treat them as real guns until they are certain they are not a threat,” he said.
Magistrate Mark Richardson fined Walsh $250 and placed him on a 12-month Community Correction Order to be of good behaviour.