A 28-year-old Southside man has been charged after he allegedly went on a rampage through Gympie, shooting his gun and stealing a truck before crashing it on Saturday afternoon (February 27).
Just before 6pm, it will be alleged the man was with a colleague at a local hotel when they got into an argument. At this time, it will be alleged he threatened to shoot his colleague.
After this argument, it is alleged he went home and got into an argument with a woman which ended in her fleeing with her two children.
The man allegedly then removed a 12-gauge shotgun from his safe before firing two shots while in his car, a black Holden Commodore sedan, which was parked outside the home.
The man then began driving along Excelsior Road before allegedly firing two more shots into the air, before heading to his colleague’s address.
When he was unable to find his colleague at the address, police will allege he discharged the shotgun three times into the air while standing outside the unit block.
He then performed a burnout on the driveway of the unit complex causing the rear tyres of his car to dislodge from the wheel rims and continued to drive throughout Gympie on the rims.
Police will allege the man drove to his work site next where he fired numerous shots into the air before ramming the gates with his vehicle, causing extensive damage.
It will further be alleged he then discharged his firearm approximately 16 times into the metal office door to gain entry.
Once inside, the man allegedly took the keys to a truck and travelled along Tin Can Bay Road to the Freshwater track at Rainbow beach where it will be alleged he travelled 15 km along the sand track before crashing the truck into a tree.
At 1.30am the man was located by police at the Freshwater Campgrounds and taken into custody. Police allegedly located the 12-gauge shotgun nearby.
He has been charged with four counts of dangerous conduct with a weapon, two counts of wilful damage and one count each of dangerous operation of a vehicle, enter premise and commit, unlawful use of motor vehicle and use a carriage service to make a threat. He was denied bail and was due to appear in Gympie Magistrates Court on March 1.
Police are calling on any witnesses who may have seen any of these incidents, or the vehicle that was used, to contact police.
