Toy guns, knife in wild scenes at Pac Fair

A man has been charged after shoppers were allegedly witness to bizarre scenes in Pacific Fair involving a knife, toy guns and teens said to have been causing havoc.

The incident allegedly took place Pacific Fair on Sunday. Picture: Richard Gosling.

In the United States there’s an old saying that you should never bring a knife to a gunfight.

It’s a phrase applicable to an alleged incident at Pacific Fair over the weekend, where a man has been accused of chasing youths through the centre while armed with a knife.

The teenagers, said to have been causing “havoc” that prompted several calls to police, had allegedly pointed plastic toy guns at the accused knife-wielding man.

Superintendent Peter Miles takes up the story.

Superintendent Peter Miles. Picture: Keith Woods.

“We got called as a matter of priority, a Code 2 job. Police attended Pac Fair at Broadbeach in relation to allegations there was a male running around the shopping centre with a knife,” he said.

“Upon arrival police took up with security, reviewed CCTV footage and observed that there were a number of youths that were in possession of what appeared to be toy guns.

“They pointed them at a 22-year-old male, who then promptly chased them with a knife through the shopping centre,” he claimed.

“That male had been taken up with by police, issued with a notice to appear for going armed to cause fear, and our detectives are following up with the juveniles to clarify anything that they did prior to that event unfolding.”

The Bulletin understands that officers responding to the drama presented the Tasers when they caught up with the man at a food court.

Police said the man, who had no prior history, was co-operative with officers and apologetic for what had happened.

Supt Miles said police were continuing to investigate the actions of the teenagers who had pointed the toy guns at the man.

“They (teens) were in the shopping centre at the time and creating havoc, a disturbance.

It wasn’t the only call we got in relation to that job,” he said.

However he urged people to never be tempted to try and deal with matters themselves.

“We would ask members of the public to contact security on site or contact police rather than taking it into their own hands,” he said.

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Originally published as Toy guns, knife in wild scenes at Pac Fair