Max Schulz: Cronulla man shoots Deliveroo cyclist with gel gun

A 21-year-old man was laughing on his friend’s balcony as he shot a gel gun at an innocent delivery cyclist, causing pain and marks. But a magistrate said his actions that followed were also “reckless”.

A food delivery driver felt instant pain when he was hit in the neck with a gel gun that a young man had fired from a nearby balcony, a court has heard.

Max Schulz, 21, was sentenced in Waverley Local Court for possessing a firearm, which was a black P90-styled sub machine gun gel blaster, and common assault of a Deliveroo cyclist at Bondi Junction.

According to agreed facts, Ahmad Bhatti was cycling along Spring St about 9:50pm on April 2 to deliver food, when Schulz was standing on a balcony at his friend’s place.

“The accused was laughing and pointed the gel blaster at the direction of the victim,” the facts read.

“He fired the gel blaster, causing small gel balls to be propelled from the blaster. One gel ball contacted the victim on the right side of his neck, causing immediate pain and red marks”.

A gel blaster is a life-like toy gun that shoots gel pellets that have been soaked in water.

Max Schulz faced Waverley Local Court on firearm and assault charges.

They are recognised as a “firearm” in NSW and are illegal to possess or use without a valid licence or permit.

Magistrate Clare Farnan said she “was pretty unimpressed” that Schulz was so reckless by hitting the man and did not help him afterwards, but went downstairs to his mate to say: “f**k, dude, what are we gonna do?”

“What you didn’t do was make sure this person was okay, and you had every opportunity to,” Magistrate Farnan said.

“You didn’t provide assistance and threw away the gun … It was potentially extremely dangerous”.

Schulz’s lawyer said his client’s decision to discharge the gun was not representative of who he is.

“The gun was not capable of serious injury,” he said.

Magistrate Farnan convicted Schulz of possessing a firearm and sentenced him to a two-year conditional release order. She did not convict him of assault but instead fined him $1,000.

Schulz, who lives in Cronulla, had pleaded guilty to both offences.