‘Troubled’ ex-commando behind four hour standoff with police in St Kilda East
A former commando involved in one of Australia’s most controversial military cases has been charged over his involvement in a police siege that shutdown a residential street in St Kilda East.
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An ex-commando at the centre of yesterday’s heavily armed siege in St Kilda East has been charged.
David Millar, 41, is facing a single charge of possessing a ballistic vest.
The former soldier will not be charged over a reported assault of a woman at the address.
The woman was admitted to hospital yesterday but has since been discharged.
Mr Millar has been bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on November 1.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident.
Millar is a former commando who was embroiled in a high-profile case involving civilian killings in the Middle East.
He was lance corporal during a commando raid of a family compound in Uruzgan in Afghanistan, in which five children and a man were killed in 2009.
Soldiers claimed they were ordered to launch two grenades into the premises as they were under fire by a man inside.
The bodies of innocent children were later discovered.
Mr Millar was initially charged with manslaughter but the charges were later dropped.
He sued the government in 2016, alleging the manslaughter charges against him were “malicious, and without reasonable and probable cause”.
The controversial case was reported as being the first of its kind in Australian military history.
Mr Millar’s neighbour Nisam said a woman ran screaming from the Westbury St house shortly after 7.30am. Her face and arms were covered with blood.
“There was blood everywhere, I tried to comfort her,” Nisam said.
The woman was taken to hospital for treatment.
Mr Millar was arrested without incident by Special Operations Group officers about 1.15pm today.
The tense siege went for four hours and shut down the St Kilda East street.
Heavily armed police and the dog squad surrounded the home around 9:30am.
Police could be heard bashing down the door to the home shortly before 11.30am. Officers with riot shields later retreated from the home without Mr Millar.
A witness told the Herald Sun a man was heard yelling “I’m a good bloke” at police before 10am.
A police negotiator on a loudspeaker could be heard saying “We know you’re a good bloke”, while asking Millar to exit the property with nothing in his hands.
Millar was later led from the home in handcuffs.
Elderly neighbour Josie Mandrio told the Herald Sun two officers armed with assault rifles had used ladders to climb her back fence.
The incident unfolded a short distance from a park where schoolchildren were gathered.
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