WATCH: Arrow fired towards police officers in near-miss, man sentenced

Body-worn camera footage has captured the moment a man fired an arrow towards police officers outside his home, narrowly missing one of them in what was called an “extremely dangerous act”.

The officers were called to the 49-year-old man’s home in Symonston at around 1:45 pm on 17 February 2024, ACT Policing said.

In the footage, the officers can be heard encouraging the man to leave his home and saying an ambulance would support him.

“I don’t wanna hurt ya,” the man said.

“I’m not going with you.”

However, when police thought the man appeared to be leaving his home, he instead fired a hunting arrow towards them.

An officer tells the others to seek cover before the man can be heard yelling, “I’ll kill ya”.

A police spokesperson said when the officers were attempting to speak with the man, his behaviour became erratic and he shot a hunting arrow using a compound bow towards them, narrowly missing one of the officers.

“The officer who was attempting to engage with the offender was struck by glass fragments when the arrow was shot at him,” the police spokesperson said.

“A short time later, specialist resources were deployed and arrived at the residence. Following their arrival, the man shot a second arrow towards police.

“Specialist resources successfully negotiated with the man who was apprehended without further incident.”

The man was handed a charge of using an offensive weapon in a way that is dangerous to a person, as well as other charges over unrelated incidents.

On Thursday (12 December), he was sentenced to 22 months in jail with a non-parole period of 11 months in the ACT Magistrates Court.

As this was backdated to account for time served, he is eligible to be released in June 2025.

Officer in Charge of Woden Police Station, Detective Inspector Donna Hofmeier, said the footage highlighted the risks that police officers faced on a daily basis.

“Police are here to keep the community safe, and there is no place for violence or abuse towards officers,” the detective inspector said.

“In this incident, an officer’s life was put at risk in an extremely dangerous act. Police went to that home to ensure the safety of the man and found themselves at grave risk.

“Every officer should have the right to come to work and go home safely.”

Detective Inspector Hofmeier said she was pleased no one was seriously injured, that the man was safely taken into custody, and that he was given the health support he required.