Wollert car wash: Jake Massey allegedly found with rifle, bullets
Police rushed to a car wash in Melbourne’s north after reports a man was screaming and punching walls. They allegedly made a chilling discovery in the car he was driving, which a magistrate dubbed “incredibly concerning”.
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A man was seen screaming and punching the walls of a Wollert car wash before police allegedly found he had a gun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition with him.
A range of drugs, CCTV equipment and a crowbar were also allegedly found in the allegedly stolen car Jake Massey had driven to the BP car wash on Epping Rd.
The 31-year-old was denied bail before Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Monday, April 27, with Magistrate Helen Murphy saying the serious allegations were “incredibly concerning”.
The court heard police went to the car wash about 8.30am on February 25 after multiple people phoned 000 about an erratic man yelling at the top of his lungs and bashing tiles in a car wash bay.
Officers arrived to find Massey lying unresponsive on the ground about 15m from the bay, where a stolen Subaru with false number plates was parked.
Senior Constable Ben Webster said Massey, who didn’t have a driver’s licence, seemed “highly affected by some sort of substance” and was visibly agitated talking to police, allegedly giving a false name.
Massey allegedly said his nephew owned the car, and that he had no idea how he got to the car wash or where his nephew was, but that it was his backpack on the front passenger seat.
Methamphetamine, three containers of GHB and prescription medication were allegedly found in the backpack.
Underneath it, police allegedly discovered a bag containing a single-barrelled sawn-off rifle and about 200 rounds of ammunition.
A dishwasher, a bag of CCTV equipment, gloves and a crowbar were allegedly also found in the car.
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The court heard the car had been stolen from the carpark at Woolworths Wendouree on February 20 using its spare key, which was taken when the owner’s home was burgled on January 30.
Massey’s lawyer pushed to have him released to live with his partner, who is pregnant with his child.
He said the indigenous man, who suffered from major depressive disorder, had already spent 62 days in custody during the difficult circumstances being imposed by the coronavirus outbreak.
But Ms Murphy said while she understood being in custody was harder at the moment, there was a significant risk in releasing him.
“The issue of the firearm and the ammunition in those circumstances is incredibly concerning,” she said.