Police got within metres of Bourke St killer before fatal Melbourne CBD attack
Never-before-seen aerial footage has revealed just how close police got to Bourke St killer Dimitrious Gargasoulas before the horrific Melbourne CBD attack unfolded. It comes as officers told an inquest it would have been “impossible” to stop the deadly car by shooting at it. WATCH THE VIDEO
VIC News
Don't miss out on the headlines from VIC News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Footage shot from the police air wing has been shown to the inquest into the Bourke St deaths, revealing how close officers got to Dimitrious Gargasoulas.
Detective Senior Constable Murray Gentner had been speaking to Gargasoulas throughout the morning by phone and text to try and get him to surrender.
From those conversations, he knew Gargasoulas was erratic and delusional. He was ranting about being the “saviour” and was obsessed by a comet he thought was going to crash to the ground.
The footage was played to the inquest on Tuesday afternoon shows Mr Gentner following him over the Westgate Bridge, through Port Melbourne and to South Melbourne where he decided he was going to stop following.
He did not consider it a “pursuit”.
The phone calls and text messages stopped when Gargasoulas saw the police aircraft over Yarraville and ordered Mr Gentner to get rid of it.
Until that time, police believed it was still possible he might stop — despite the fact Gargasoulas gathered speed over the Westgate Bridge and pulled out in front of Mr Gentner in Port Melbourne so the officers couldn’t box him in.
He said he “wanted to get my attention” and was looking back and yelling at the police.
At times they got to within four metres of his stolen Holden Commodore.
He still believed it was possible to resolve the situation “peacefully”, but in Port Melbourne realised it wasn’t going to happen.
“He was avoiding being boxed in, so at this point we decide to withdraw from him,” Mr Gentner said.
Soon after, he received a call from another officer to “pull the pin and reassess”.
They decided to “come up with a new plan”, believing Gargasoulas may head to Prahran which was an area he was familiar with.
Within minutes, they got word he was doing doughnuts at Flinders St, and the air wing was urging as many police units to the scene as possible.
Mr Gentner followed him into Swanston St along with a second police vehicle. He agreed with counsel assisting Stephen O’Meara that there was no real plan at that stage to avert what happened on Bourke St.
“I’ve thought about it a million times but short of having crystal ball, I don’t … ” he said.
At that stage, his main concern was Gargasoulas losing control and “accidentally” hitting a member of the public.
He told the inquest the times Gargasoulas got the most dangerous was when they stopped engaging with him, which supported his theory he was trying to get their attention.
‘VERY DIFFICULT’ TO STOP KILLER’S CAR: POLICE
The detective who tried to negotiate with Bourke St killer Dimitrious Gargasoulas has told a court it was almost “impossible” to shoot the tyre of a moving car.
Detective Senior Constable Murray Gentner tried repeatedly to get Gargasoulas to surrender as he wove through traffic and led police around Melbourne.
Gargasoulas ignored the detective and mowed down dozens of people on Collins St and Bourke St Mall on January 20, 2017.
Six people died and an inquest into their deaths is underway at Victoria’s Coroners Court.
Mr Gentner was asked by counsel assisting Stephen O’Meara QC how likely it was to successfully shoot a tire of moving vehicle.
“I take it it’s not just like Hollywood,” he asked.
Mr Gentner replied it would be “pure luck” to stop a car that way.
“There is huge risk involved … when it’s moving it’s near impossible … it [the bullet] could end up somewhere else – you don’t know where it’s going and who it is going to hit.”
He agreed police training was not to shoot at vehicles.
“If you can’t shoot at vehicles, how are you supposed to stop it?” Mr O’Meara asked.
“The general method was to run with the vehicle until it runs out of fuel or to throw stop sticks in front of the vehicle to burst the tyres … Other than that it is very difficult to stop a vehicle.”
An added complication of stop sticks in a built up area like the central city was nother vehicles could run over them.
Mr Gentner was also quizzed about Victoria Police’s pursuits policy.
He said pursuing officers needed to “weigh up the risk of serious injury to members of the public” with their objective in catching their target.
“You are weighing up on balance your objective and any possible consequence.”
He understood there would be no backlash from superiors if a judgment was made to abandon a pursuit because the policy existed so “not to let a rush of blood and desire to apprehend someone by putting risk to members of public”.
Mr Gentner was granted a certificate that meant the evidence he gave could not be used against him in both civil and criminal matters.
Lawyers for dozens of police employees indicated to Coroner Jacqui Hawkins today the only way the officers would give evidence willingly was if a certificate was issued.
Coroner Hawkins agreed the officers had “reasonable grounds for objection’ as the risks were “real and appreciable” as by giving evidence they may be implicated in committing an offence or be liable to a civil penalty.
The possible criminal offence relates to failing to take reasonable care of themselves or others and the possible civil action related to potential disciplinary procedures.
“DELUSIONAL” GARGASOULAS’ HISTORY WITH POLICE
A detective who was preparing to lay charges against a “delusional” Gargasoulas has told how he desperately “raced down the stairs” when he realised a Bail Justice was about to release him.
Detective Senior Constable Murray Gentner was typing up charges relating to admissions Gargasoulas made about a robbery, a burglary, driving offences and violence against family members.
He was told by a colleague who was in the hearing at St Kilda Police Station that things were going badly.
“I had a brief exchange with Senior Constable Jake Semmel that it wasn’t going well, pretty much.”
Mr Gentner told the hearing of the interview he had with Gargasoulas who had confessed to serious crimes and advised he needed immediate treatment for drug and mental heath conditions.
He also mentioned he was a “serious risk of reoffending.”
The inquest into the Bourke St killings is hearing evidence of the interaction Gargasoulas had with Victoria Police in the days leading up to the massacre.
Mr Gentner had built a “rapport” with Gargasoulas who was intent on trying to impress the detective, possibly to secure a role as an informant.
“He was delusional,” Mr Gentner told the inquest on Tuesday morning.
Counsel assisting Stephen O’Meara QC told Mr Gentner the Bail Justice – who will give evidence later this week – had a “different recollection” of what happened at the hearing.
Mr O’Meara said the Bail Justice observed a “friendly rapport” between Gargasoulas and the detective, and asked if that could have been “misinterpreted”.
Mr Gentner told him he was very clear what he was saying was serious.
The Bail Justice also said there was no pending charges and he was unable to deny him bail on the suspicion they would be laid at a later time.
Mr Gentner denied that, saying: “That’s not correct.” He said the only reason he didn’t have the charges typed up was he had to literally “race down the stairs”.
Gargasoulas getting bail was always a possibility but it was not something he and his colleagues were expecting.
He told the inquest he was “very clear” Gargasoulas had made admissions to serious crimes and charges were imminent.
“It’s not common for someone to come in and admit to serious charges and not be charged there and there … it’s cut and dried once admissions are made.”
The Bail Justice also claimed the police case was “rushed and underprepared.”
The detective rejected that.
MORE NEWS
MACHETE ATTACK VICTIM LIVING ‘NIGHTMARE’
CASEY COUNCILLOR SPEAKS OUT OVER CORRUPTION CLAIMS
KIM’S SECRET BUREAU’S FOILED VICTORIAN DRUG PLOT
The inquest heard he believed the initial case was well prepared and the only rushed aspect was when he entered the hearing to intervene once it was clear there was the prospect Gargasoulas would get bail.
Mr O’Meara said the Bail Justice also claimed there was no prior convictions recorded – something Mr Gentner believed would have been in his colleagues initial remand hearing.
“I can’t say whether I did or not But I’d be very surprised if Jake Semmel hadn’t done that -it would be unheard of for bail applications not having priors included or mentioned.”
The inquest continues.