24 June 2013

Ngunnawal carjacking

| johnboy
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ACT Policing is investigating an aggravated robbery that took place in Ngunnawal last Friday (June 21) afternoon.

Between 5.45pm and 6.00pm, a man driving a red Holden Commodore station wagon along Wanganeen Avenue, Ngunnawal stopped as a man was standing in the middle of the road impeding traffic.

While the car was stopped, another man entered the vehicle and threatened the driver with a knife.

The man who had been impeding traffic then entered the vehicle and demanded the driver take them to Nicholls shops and withdraw a sum of cash from the automatic teller machine (ATM).

The man complied with the demand, drove to the Nicholls shops and withdrew the cash. The two men then demanded they be driven to Gold Creek. The two men exited the Commodore in the car park of the George Harcourt Inn, and fled the area, running towards the Barton Highway.

The first offender is described as Caucasian, around 180cm (5’11”) in height with a narrow face and pointed chin, dark eyebrows and believed to be aged in his mid-30s. At the time of the incident, he was clean shaven, wearing black pants, a ‘hoodie’ and black gloves.

The second offender is described as Caucasian, around 170cm (5’7”) tall, with a round face, red “blotchy” skin and believed to be aged in his late-30s. At the time he was wearing a dark ‘hoodie’ and dark gloves.

Anyone who was in the vicinity of Nicholls shops or Gold Creek at the time of the incident and may be able to assist police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via www.act.crimestoppers.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously.

[Courtesy ACT Policing]

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Watson said :

I never lock my car when driving because the emergency services warn that it could take vital extra time when they need to rescue you from a vehicle after a crash. And it’s far more likely that I crash the car then that it would get hijacked, though it’s a scary thought that this sort of stuff does happen in Canberra.

Shouldn’t be an issue unless you have a really old car. Most (if not all these days?) cars will unlock the doors when seatbelt pre-tensioners, air bags etc deploy. Even the 1994 VR Commodore I once owned had this feature.

and if time…jump out of your vehicle giving it to them.

This is exactly how Janine Balding at 19 years was murdered (by teenagers who lived on the streets) armed with knives forcing her into her own vehicle, all of them piling into her vehicle demanding she drive to withdraw money, then torturing her before murdering her; the most beautiful girl growing up in a beautiful friendly family.

The trouble was that the police were on their way to a different carpark (after the teenagers were reported by someone at the nearby railway station carpark) and not the carpark Janine was in at the time after getting off her train.

This guy in Canberra had someone who either prays for him or his time was not up; others not so lucky.

Thirty years ago my relative pulled up for a bloke on a highway that was on the road. The guy jumped in and held something under a coat. The driver had a V8 old vehicle. He pushed the accelerator flat to the floor and gave his passenger the ride of his life veering to the left off the road onto the dirt, back onto the road again for ten ks. The guy asked to be let out frightened.

My relative smiled and let him out near a service station, the guy could not get out quick enough.

Nevertheless, since hearing that story thirty years ago I raised my kids that if anyone pulls a knife on them near their vehicle or out in public; fight then and there; do not get into the car doing as they wish. It is too late stuck in the vehicle with them.

Mongrel f*cking bastard dogs.

Another reason to avoid stopping to help someone who may be in trouble. Do you stop now when someone in distress tries to wave you down, or do you swerve and accelerate? Are you leaving behind a blagger and his mate who might kill you for a few dollars, or are you leaving behind someone who is genuinely in need of assistance?

For many years now American car doors have automatically locked once the vehicle exceeds a few km/h to defend against this sort of crap. Even with some of the dodgy places I went to I always thought it was a bit excessive, but maybe they had the right idea.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd5:24 pm 25 Jun 13

As others have said, it is canberra. I guess it depends on what sort of person you are. Chances are these cowards would never have the stones to actually use the knife on a person. Personally I would disarm them and give them a flogging.

I never lock my car when driving because the emergency services warn that it could take vital extra time when they need to rescue you from a vehicle after a crash. And it’s far more likely that I crash the car then that it would get hijacked, though it’s a scary thought that this sort of stuff does happen in Canberra.

ToastFliesRED1:34 pm 25 Jun 13

And on a lighter note, to paraphrase Antoine Dodson:

He’s climbin in your Commodore
He’s snatchin some o’ your cash
Tryna rape your bank account y’all need to
Hide your kids, hide your wife
Hide your PIN, hide your self
Hide your cash, hide your keys
And hide your husband cuz they’re car jackin’ everybody out here
You don’t have to come and confess
We’re lookin for you
We gon find you we gon find you
So you can run and tell that,
Run and tell that
Run and tell that, homeboy
Den dat Chuck Norris gunna lay the smack down on your gutless ass

As bundah said – Lock your doors when you drive. It’s the only answer. You can’t just run someone over on suspicion, and all the other suggestions given so far would have to be attempted while a nutter sitting behind you holds a knife to your throat. Gunning the accelerator? Heavy braking? Driving where they don’t want you to? Nope. It’s the same principle as for when your store is being held up – when they’re in, you do what they say until they leave with the loot. Let them have it, no matter how much it is it’s less valuable than your life. You don’t try to be a hero unless you believe they’re about to do you immediate and actual harm.

In our relatively safe community, nobody expects to be facing a carjacking attempt. You slow to a stop because a guy’s standing in the middle of the road. In that split second of wondering what he’s doing and swearing at him under your breath, another guy has snuck up and jumped in the back seat and put a knife to your neck. The fight’s already lost before you knew there was one. As of that moment, you have no choice but to do what they say and use the best judgement you can muster up until they’re safely away from you.

I know I know, don’t be paranoid – NO-ONE locks their car doors while driving. And especially not in Canberra. I don’t either. What are the odds of getting carjacked in Canberra? This is the boring roundabout-and-politician-infested bush capital, this isn’t Joburg or LA. This isn’t even Sydney.

But it did happen here – it happened on Wanganeen Avenue, Ngunnawal, a well populated residential area early on a weekday evening. It wasn’t even in the deserted depths of an industrial area late at night. Yes this is Canberra, but we now realise it can happen here so it’s no longer paranoia to lock your doors.

Make it part of your get-in-the-car routine. Start the car, put on seatbelt, lock doors. On many cars these days it’s a single button on the driver’s armrest. It’s not being a nancyboy. Not even Chuck Norris* would risk attempting to disarm a carjacker sitting behind him with a knife to his throat. Not even if he had nunchuks and a gun. Lock your doors.

* – I don’t presume to tell Chuck Norris what he would or wouldn’t do.

Two choices,either have your doors locked or as the lowlife attempts to get in run the other lowlife over.Option two is my preference.

Bonus “points” for the punctuation. What if a hoodie has a blotchy pattern on it?

Drive into the Caltex station at Gold Creek and pull up in front of the security cameras?

thebrownstreak6911:50 am 24 Jun 13

So drive out onto the highway and, as they run across, run them down.

What the hell?

Gungahlin Al10:58 am 24 Jun 13

Geez hard to know what you’d do in such a circumstance. First thing I’d be thinking is “did they put their seatbelts on?” If not, some heavy braking might help…

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