A Wadeye resident has left the town after a ‘citizen’s arrest’

Residents of a Territory town are disputing a police citizen’s arrest claim. Read what happened.

Wadeye residents have questioned the police version of an incident last week in which a man was allegedly assaulted in his own home, branding it as a suspected vigilante attack.

This masthead understands a local resident, who this publication has chosen not to identify for legal reasons, chased a man into his home after the man had earlier vandalised his car.

This publication understands that on Thursday afternoon an Aboriginal man smashed the wing mirrors and windows of a vehicle owned by the male resident.

This masthead has been told the vehicle owner subsequently chased the man and then entered his home, where an alleged physical altercation took place.

Wadeye police station. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Video footage seen by a number of people spoken to by this publication allegedly showed the resident standing over the man, who was on the floor of his home, with his left fist drawn to deliver a punch.

However NT Police described his actions as a citizen’s arrest, alleging the man was damaging the resident’s vehicle when he was confronted.

Police said they attended the scene, and arrested the man who was allegedly damaging the vehicle, although he was subsequently released pending further investigations.

Police said they are continuing to investigate the incident and have obtained a number of witness statements.

But a Wadeye resident who had seen the video disputed the allegation that it was a citizen’s arrest.

“That’s debatable,” he said.

“In the vision I saw his left arm was cocked and it looked like he was about to lay into him.”

This masthead has attempted several times to contact the resident and has been advised he left the town in the days that followed – as word of the citizen’s arrest spread.

Northern Territory police have previously spoken out against vigilantism and advised victims to not take enforcement matters into their own hands.

Earlier this year, police declined to prosecute former Tennant Creek mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin after a long-running investigation in which he subdued a child suspected of robbing homes by sitting on his back.

Police have urged anybody with information on the incident to contact 131444 or to visit a local station.