1 May 2010

Siege in Holder

| johnboy
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[First filed: Apr 29, 2010 @ 16:07]

Police in Holder

The shiny new ACT Policing website is silent on the subject but ABC radio reports there’s a siege underway on Dickson Drive in Holder.

If your kids can’t get home on the buses they will apparently be kept for you at Canberra College.

UPDATED: “fgzk” has sent in the above photo along with these thoughts:

The area is very calm. I talked to another local walking the dog his only statement was that “they oughta gas him out, none of this waiting just gas Im ” The police are well organised and even from a distance reek of profesionalism. I was the only spectator so I left. I would say its a waiting game now.

In the comments we also have unfounded scuttlebutt that the barricaded man has some sort of improvised explosive using gas bottles.

Police have also put a statement online.

My condolences to everyone stuck in a college hall tonight. I hope it’s well heated.

FURTHER UPDATE: The ABC brings word that the siege ended around 1am this morning.

A man apparently in his sixties [Turns out 75], walking with a cane, walked out and was taken away for a chat with police. Apparently there was a family dispute of some sort. TV news reports last night seemed to indicate a government agency had been involved.

No update yet on the AFP’s shiny new website.

Another Update: The AFP have now provided a media statement. The site has not yet been made safe and residents are unable to return to their homes.

One more update for the road: The Canberra Times brings word that one Erwin Klinger has been charged with threatening to damage property. He’s been remanded in custody.

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Woody Mann-Caruso said :

I’m reliably informed you can tie balloons to your house and move it to free land in South America.

UP UP and away

Woody Mann-Caruso2:50 pm 02 May 10

I’m reliably informed you can tie balloons to your house and move it to free land in South America.

i think it’s really sad that a 75 yr old man is now homeless – no wonder he refused to leave his home. disgraceful really that a community treats their elderly this way – he had debts i hear – who hasn’t but where the hell is he going to live now. poor man, where’s the compassion etc….

Today’s Canberra Times reports that Mr Klinger had been declared bankrupt and was to lose his house. The Sheriff’s Dept had turned up to evict him and change the locks so he barricaded himself in to prevent this from happening. The police were called because of this along with the fact that he threatened to kill or harm all persons that were in the house with him (for the record, no-one was in the house except him).

That explains why all this happened. And it also explains why there are notices plastered all over the front windows.

I do feel for him – fancy being 74 and being told that you would now be homeless. But I can’t help feeling somewhat more sorry for all the people he displaced as a result of him refusing to leave what once was his home.

Given the sad nature of the event, i would say that this would possibly not be the last time that we see something like this happen. A terrible thing to lose ones home.

Woody Mann-Caruso6:59 pm 30 Apr 10

That crazy Klinger. He’ll do anything to get sent home from the war!

I’m with Thumper (#23) on this one.
I barricade myself in my house every night but I don’t make a song and dance about it.
Smells a bit “gassy” sometimes though…

The man is deaf… knock knock… come out Mr. Klinger..

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/30/2887084.htm

Thoroughly Smashed2:30 pm 30 Apr 10

s-s-a said :

I recalled that the last big Police operation in Duffy was also towards that end of Dixon Drive – Death in Duffy

Even more creepy is that it was also during the last week of April…

Yeah, what are the chances?!

I recalled that the last big Police operation in Duffy was also towards that end of Dixon Drive – Death in Duffy

Even more creepy is that it was also during the last week of April…

He didn’t even have any hostages, and they wanted to know what his problem was. So ideally you’d want to talk him out, not shoot him out or freak him out with teargas and explode him out!

Besides police mentioned that he said things they wanted to hear more about. He might actually have useful information about freaky Canberra happenings.

Thoroughly Smashed10:37 am 30 Apr 10

A Noisy Noise Annoys An Oyster said :

The cops should have done what the Russians in Beslan did – lob teargas grenades in then storm the place and shoot those responsible dead.

Don’t forget the deaths of a third of the hostages.

A Noisy Noise Annoys An Oyster said :

The cops should have done what the Russians in Beslan did – lob teargas grenades in then storm the place and shoot those responsible dead.

And have a 70% mortality rate? That incident was a disaster, not the best example.

And here I was thinking…Weston is one of the quieter areas of Canberra :(Thanks for dispelling that myth for me.

fgzk said “The police are well organised and even from a distance reek of profesionalism”

That statement has left me speechless. I hope it’s a joke.

Otherwise fgzk is a cop.

A Noisy Noise Annoys An Oyster9:42 am 30 Apr 10

The cops should have done what the Russians in Beslan did – lob teargas grenades in then storm the place and shoot those responsible dead.

come on now people there has been no big explosions in duffy since the petrol station ! i would say it’s less dangerous but a more exciting suburb

I told my parents – despite all their stirring Tuggeranong is much safer – the last few incidents have been in weston creek! Glad it is over, pity the people in temp accommodation last night, unfortunately we will probably nevery know the real story.

We should get those fire fighting choppers “elvis” and flush him out.

#18 LOL

Interesting timing for this incident given another recent Riotact thread asking about the virtues of Duffy 😀

This seems more like a Rivett kind of incident.

Lethal force would be an acceptable measure to take.

I imagine the real trick is to stop the surrounding houses and any police being damaged in the process.

Foo, thats what canberra connect told me at about 5 this afternoon.

Foo said :

Morgannn, I’m in Weston and not evacuated, and there’s a steady stream of cars up and down the street. What makes you think “pretty much the whole of weston has been evacuated”?

Obviously you weren’t paying attention or didn’t get the memo. Get out now before it’s too late.

Nothing to see here move along now.

Morgannn said :

Pretty much the whole of weston has been evacuated, part of holder and duffy is closed ( the streets closest to dixon drive.

And anyone trying to get in is taken to Canberra College in phillip.

Where has any media, or anybody at all, reported this?

details are now on the ACT Policing web site…the southern end of Dixon drive is blocked:

“Police have established an exclusion zone around the area. The exclusion zone includes the southern end of Dixon Drive to Hindmarsh Drive, the southern end of Burrinjuck Crescent, Kallara Close, Wuruma Place, Weingarth Street, Sheaffe Street, Eve Street and Percival Street.”

I’m just down the road near blackwood tce. No-one has knocked on my door. found out about this via this site,then the news.

Foo said :

Morgannn, I’m in Weston and not evacuated, and there’s a steady stream of cars up and down the street. What makes you think “pretty much the whole of weston has been evacuated”?

Oh bugger, you didn’t get the memo …….

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/siege-underway-in-holder-canberra/story-e6frfku0-1225860309479

POLICE are negotiating with a man at a south Canberra residence where a siege is underway following reports of threats involving explosive materials.

The man has barricaded himself in a house in the suburb of Holder while police have blocked off access to the area.

Police were called to the address at 11am (AEST) today and say the siege is ongoing.

A special response team is on the scene where negotiations with the man are continuing, ACT Police said.

It is understood the man is alone in the house.

Police say they are treating the incident as serious due to the possible threat of explosive materials at the residence.

“Around 11am today police were called to attend a residence on Dixon Drive, Holder where a man has barricaded himself inside a house,” police said in a statement.

“Police have established an exclusion zone around the area.”

“All unaccompanied children are being cared for by police and emergency services until their parents or guardians are able to pick them up.”

Morgannn said :

Pretty much the whole of weston has been evacuated, part of holder and duffy is closed ( the streets closest to dixon drive.

And anyone trying to get in is taken to Canberra College in phillip.

Actually, I’m pretty sure none of Weston is evacuated.

Foo said :

Morgannn, I’m in Weston and not evacuated, and there’s a steady stream of cars up and down the street. What makes you think “pretty much the whole of weston has been evacuated”?

yeah i drove past on the way home and made it, still they seem to have a big setup. The coffee tent is up anyway. The rumour mill in the street tells me that a person is in the house with heaps of gas bottles ready to blow up. No loud bangs as of yet.

It’s just that few streets mentioned by 666’s twitter… the holder shops are fine on that side, just around cnr weingarth/dixon up to burrunjuck/dixon and a few surrounding sts.

Thought for a bit there the exclusion zone was going to widen, and we’d be sent home from work at the old Holder primary, but no, not quite that far!

Morgannn, I’m in Weston and not evacuated, and there’s a steady stream of cars up and down the street. What makes you think “pretty much the whole of weston has been evacuated”?

If you’re not near a radio they’re talking about it at http://www.abc.net.au/canberra/includes/winstream.asx

Pretty much the whole of weston has been evacuated, part of holder and duffy is closed ( the streets closest to dixon drive.

And anyone trying to get in is taken to Canberra College in phillip.

Latest of ABC Radio site:

4:29pm Traffic: roads closed in Holder and Duffy . Dixon Drive near Hindmarsh, Sheaffe, Eve, Percival Streets, Kallara Cl and Burrinjuck nr Dixon

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