Police admit to bungled raid which left innocent man with serious injuries
Police have sensationally admitted to “stuffing up” a bungled raid on Saturday that left an innocent man with serious injuries — and have finally apologised to the victim, who now fears he may never regain full use of his injured arm.
Law & Order
Don't miss out on the headlines from Law & Order. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Police have sensationally admitted to “stuffing up” a bungled raid on Saturday that left an innocent man seriously injured — and have finally apologised directly to two of the victims.
Addressing the media amid public outcry, Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said the police operation at LGBTI bookshop Hares & Hyenas was wrong and would be thoroughly investigated.
The incident has since been declared a case of “mistaken identity” and is now under investigation.
THE FERRARI BATTLE NO-ONE SAW COMING
ESSENTIAL LAST-MIN TIPS ON CHOOSING A HIGH SCHOOL
“Police stuffed this one up,” he said. “Our attendance at the property was a mistake.”
“I am appalled by the extent of the injuries. On behalf of Victoria Police, I am very deeply sorry.”
Mr Cornelius visited the bookstore this afternoon and personally apologised to two of the victims.
Jeremy King, a lawyer acting on behalf of the three men injured in the bungled police raid, then released a statement.
“Rowland, Crusader and Nik were sleeping in their beds in their home in the early hours of last Saturday morning,” it read.
“They were awoken to the police critical incident response team coming into their property. At no stage did any of the CIRT team announce their presence. Neither Nik, Crusader or Rowland had any idea for some time that these were police members.
“Fearing it was a home invasion and a hate crime, Nik sought to flee through the front door. Crusader and Rowland were then forced to answer questions. Nik was violently restrained by police and has suffered a serious shoulder injury as a result. He has undergone major surgery and faces a long road to recovery. He asks for peace and space for him and his family at this time to recover properly.
“Anyone having their own home invaded in the middle of the night would understandably be terrified. We cannot ignore that this incident happened at Hares & Hyenas, an important pillar of the LGBTQIA+ community and this compounds the horror of this incident.
“Nik, Rowland and Crusader are deeply traumatised and saddened by the events and the corruption of this special place. They will be seeking to ensure that those police officers involved are properly held to account by IBAC, a truly independent oversight body, and by any other means at their disposal.”
Members of Victoria Police’s professional standards investigation team earlier visited victim Nik Dimopoulos, 47, in hospital to get a better understanding of what happened from him, but no formal apology had been issued until today’s visit.
Mr Dimopoulos’ injuries were so extensive that he may never regain full use of his injured arm. The man is in constant pain and close to tears in hospital, friends say.
He has had multiple surgeries since being admitted on Saturday.
“Those injuries are very serious,” Assistant Commissioner Cornelius said. “The nature of those injuries demand an explanation … (and) a thorough and independent investigation.
“As a senior member of Victoria Police, it is always of concern to me when police get it wrong.”
The investigation will focus on understanding why police made the decision to enter the premises, whether or not the police identified themselves and why and how the use of force was applied during the arrest.
Assistant Commissioner Cornelius will visit the book store in coming days to apologise to the owners.
The members involved in the shocking arrest have not been stood down from active duty.
It is understood at least five officers attended the Johnston St property initially before being joined by others, including the dog squad.
The investigation into the initial carjacking and reckless driving that led police to the Fitzroy address is also ongoing.
HOW BOTCHED RAID UNFOLDED
Friends on Sunday told the Herald Sun Mr Dimopoulos had got up to use the bathroom when he was confronted by what he thought were intruders in his Johnston St home.
He ran from the property, thinking the attack was targeted at his LGBTIQ-friendly bookstore — Hares & Hyenas — and was thrown to the ground by police.
Housemate’s Rowland Thomson and Crusader Hillis were home at the time and claim police failed to identify themselves, sparking their friend’s reaction.
“He could only see boots and rifles and was assuming he was going to be bashed or shot. He said he thought he was about to be killed,” Mr Thomson posted online.
Both men were shaken, declining to make a formal statement while seeking legal advice for their friend.
Asst-Commissioner Cornelius today said there is “no evidence that the police attendance was in any way associated with any sort of homophobic motivation on behalf of the police concerned”.
Lawyer Jeremy King, of Robinson Gill Lawyers said Mr Dimopoulos was not in a position to talk about his ordeal.
“Nik has sustained a serious shoulder injury requiring major surgery involving bone grafts and the insertion of pins,’’ he said.
“He is recovering in hospital but has a long road ahead of him in terms of recovery.”
“All involved are understandably deeply traumatised by these events. We intend on taking all steps to ensure those police officers involved are properly held to account for this incident.’’
Photos seen by the Herald Sun show a battered and bruised Mr Dimopoulos in a hospital bed with bumps and grazes to his forehead.
His right arm and shoulder can also be seen bandaged after undergoing multiple surgeries over the weekend.
Visiting the store on Sunday, police accountability advocate Anthony Kelly, the executive officer of Flemington and Kensington Community Legal Centre, described the incident as an “horrific use of force”.
“It’s extraordinarily traumatising for those impacted — I can only just imagine what it’s like to be raided with guns and boots and lights,” he said.
“One of our key concerns is that … we’re not seeing any sort of accountability or operational changes or shifts to how police conduct these raids.”
Mr Kelly said there had been a similar case to Saturday night’s brutal arrest in 2017, when an international student walking out of a shop on Sydney Rd was unwittingly caught up in a police arrest after he had been wrongly identified by police.
He was thrown to the ground by officers, fracturing his jaw.
Victoria Police confirmed the incident in a statement on Saturday after friends took to social media.
“The man police arrested was mistakenly identified as the suspect police were searching for that had fled the stolen vehicle nearby,” Victoria Police spokeswoman Belinda Batty said.
“Victoria Police acknowledge the distress this situation has caused the victim and the incident will be thoroughly investigated by Professional Standards Command.”
Police Minister Lisa Neville said that a full investigation was needed to prevent a similar incident for happening again.
“This is a terrible event and I want to acknowledge the distress this situation has caused the victim and extend my thoughts and deepest sympathy to them during this difficult time,” she said.
“The community deserve a full explanation from Victoria Police as soon as possible.
Premier Daniel Andrews extended his support to Mr Dimopoulos and his family, saying the incident would be looked at “very closely”.
“It would have been terrifying, he’s obviously got serious injuries and I want to assure every Victorian he’s getting the very best of care,” Mr Andrews said.