Accused CBD killer’s behaviour became more erratic
FRUSTRATED police made a formal complaint about bail being granted to accused Melbourne CBD killer Dimitrious “Jimmy’’ Gargasoulas by a bail justice six days before the Bourke St massacre.
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ACCUSED CBD killer Dimitrious “Jimmy’’ Gargasoulas did burnouts outside a police station before allegedly going on a rampage while free on bail.
The Herald Sun can also reveal that frustrated police made a formal complaint about bail being granted to Mr Gargasoulas by a bail justice on Saturday January 14, six days before the Bourke St massacre.
Police who had arrested Mr Gargasoulas were dismayed at his release and were investigating whether to raise it through their bosses with the Department of Justice.
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The Herald Sun understands a massive homicide investigation into the Bourke St carnage will probe whether Mr Gargasoulas, described as an “ice user’’, was on a sleepless bender in the days leading up to allegedly using his car to mow down dozens of people on Friday.
Although police have confirmed Gargasoulas was given bail by a bail justice on January 14, it is still unclear whether he was already on bail at that point.
It is understood officers had argued Gargasoulas, who was well known to police, had a history of evading them and was a danger to his family and the wider community.
The force yesterday confirmed that the alleged CBD killer would face a string of murder charges over his Bourke St rampage.
The Herald Sun can reveal that in the lead up to Mr Gargasoulas allegedly stabbing his brother on Friday morning, taking his girlfriend hostage and mowing down dozens of people in Bourke St, the 26-year-old is alleged to have:
EVADED police in his car, endangering life, just prior to Christmas;
CONDUCTED a burnout outside St Kilda police station;
STABBED brother Angelo, because he believed he was in a relationship with a well-known male criminal.
HAD warrants issued for his arrest before he was given bail;
REPRESENTED himself at the bail hearing but said little;
ENTERED St Kilda police station “ranting and raving’’ days before he would go on his rampage, demanding to see an officer he obsessed about.
REPEATEDLY called 000 wanting to speak to a particular officer.
BELIEVED there were “spies in the air” as police attempted to intercept him on Friday.
Mr Gargasoulas would also often be observed talking to sex workers in Greeves St, St Kilda, and would run if police moved in.
His deteriorating behaviour alarmed officers, who were “staggered’’ when Mr Gargasoulas was given bail after representing himself in the out-of-sessions hearing on Saturday, January 14.
There had been discussions internally about raising the matter with the Department of Justice. “They were shaking their heads,’’ one source said.
Mr Gargasoulas became even more erratic, sources say, following his bail release.
Those in authority who have knowledge of his history say they were in shock at his alleged conduct, but it would undoubtedly result in an overhaul of the bail justice system.
It has also emerged that Mr Gargasoulas had issues growing up in his home town of Coober Pedy and allegedly had planned to kill three Aboriginal boys with a bomb.
Locals have spoken about how he was rumoured to deal drugs, even selling to children.
The police investigation into the massacre, meanwhile, will likely take months as detectives seek to piece together evidence.
Investigators are still trying to work out the exact locations where each victim was hit.
Once they have worked that out — through studying CCTV footage and from witness statements — they will be able to make a calculation at what speed the driver was travelling at.
On Sunday, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said Mr Gargasoulas would be charged with multiple counts of murder. Detectives were still waiting to get the all clear from doctors to interview Mr Gargasoulas by doctors on Sunday night.
He had surgery on Saturday after he was shot in the arm by police at the end of Friday’s massacre.
The Homicide Squad is conducting the investigation with the help of the Major Collision Investigation Unit and Major Crime Scene officers.
The forensic experts from Major Crime Scene spent Friday night and Saturday morning working through the scene of the carnage.
Police believe that each of the victims were on the footpath at the time of impact.
In the coming days a reconstruction expert will painstakingly go through witness statements, reports compiled by officers at the scene and CCTV footage to try and piece together the exact movements of the car.
The massacre is also expected to bring into sharp focus issues surrounding the Victoria Police pursuit policy.
While many people on social media said that police should have stopped the driver by force before the car started ploughing into people, Bruce McKenzie, assistant secretary of The Police Association Victoria, said that was unfair.
“Our members have to make split-second decisions ... life and death decisions,” Mr McKenzie said.
“We are uncertain whether a pursuit occurred or not on Friday ... it is easy to sit back and criticise.”
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