Man goes on wild excavator rampage in Melbourne overturning cars, damaging water main
A man has been filmed going on an excavator rampage in Melbourne, destroying a water main and fence and overturning two cars before calmly driving away.
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A man has been filmed going on an excavator rampage in a Melbourne industrial estate, destroying a water main and fence and overturning two cars before calmly driving away.
Footage of the incident, which reportedly occurred in Truganina in Melbourne’s west on Saturday, was first posted online by independent news outlet Wyndham TV.
The man can be seen driving the excavator onto the property, smashing through a fence and destroying a water main before damaging and overturning two parked cars.
“Look at the f**king mess you’ve created,” a man can be heard saying to the driver in the video.
Witnesses could be heard screaming at the man as he went on the nearly three-minute rampage in the vehicle.
He eventually turns the excavator around and drives back out the way he came. The excavator was later seen parked behind a locked gate just across the road.
Police were pictured at the scene inspecting the damage, which is estimated to be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Victoria Police said officers have arrested a man following reports he was damaging property in Truganina on 4 February.
It’s alleged the man damaged two vehicles, a fire hydrant and a gate at a business on Carmen Street about 1.45pm.
The 56-year-old Toorak man was arrested at the scene.
He was charged and bailed to attend the Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on November 1, 2023.
“No one was injured during the incident,” a police spokesman said. “It’s believed parties are known to each other.”
It’s not clear what motivated the incident.
Excavators have been used to cause damage in the past.
In 2019, a UK builder used an excavator to destroy the entrance of a TraveLodge hotel in Liverpool, causing nearly $800,000 in damage, alleging he was owed £600 ($1040) in wages.
John Manley, 36, was sentenced to five years in jail the following year over the viral incident — with many online shocked at the harsh sentence.
Also in 2019, two Queensland brothers hired an excavator to bulldoze a house they part-owned.
And in 2021, a UK excavator driver destroyed £700,000 ($1.2 million) worth of trucks, vans and offices during a rampage at a recycling yard because of a “work row”, The Daily Mail reported.
Originally published as Man goes on wild excavator rampage in Melbourne overturning cars, damaging water main
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