Police, in the midst of an alleged early morning bus hijacking, say the man who ended up detained tried to grab a police gun, in a dramatic take on the arrest.
The incident took place in Adelaide around 6am on Saturday.
A 28-year-old Adelaide man was shot with a Taser and sprayed with pepper twice before police were able to remove him from the bus driver’s seat.
One officer ended up with an eye injury, which was irritated by the pepper spray, and a female officer suffered a jaw injury after allegedly being punched.
Footage filmed by a member of the public suggests the alleged offender attempted to grab a police weapon from one of the officer’s hips.
“I didn’t let him grab his comrade-in-arms that I was holding,” the wounded officer said in the video as her colleagues attempted to assess her injuries.
“I grabbed it, I grabbed it, I didn’t let it go,” he said.
“I saw it,” one officer said.
Police, in the midst of an alleged early morning bus hijacking, say the man who ended up detained tried to grab a police gun, in a dramatic take on the arrest.
The entire time the female officer’s face is bright red and contorted with pain. He asks a paramedic for some kind of spray.
“I just don’t know if my jaw is broken,” he said.
“He punched me twice in the jaw. Really hard,” he alleged.
Police were called to a Franklin Street bus station around 5.45am on Saturday to reports that a drunk man was trying to hijack a private bus with 26 elderly passengers on board.
When officers arrived, they alleged the man was in the driver’s seat of the bus in an agitated state.
Police approached the man and asked him to get off the bus, but he refused, a police spokesman said.
Officers attempted to remove him from the driver’s seat when two officers were allegedly punched repeatedly in the head, the spokesperson said.
“Police used capsicum spray in an attempt to subdue the man, but this was unsuccessful and he continued attempting to drive the bus,” the spokesperson said.
“Officers arrived at the scene to assist and a third member was kicked in the head and suffered a split lip.”
The spokesperson said a police dog was called to help remove the man from the bus, but was also allegedly attacked and its handler punched in the face.
A 28-year-old Adelaide man was taken to hospital for medical attention before police charged him.
Two officers were also taken to the hospital after one member suffered an eye injury and a second officer suffered a head injury.
“Police shot the man with a Taser but were unable to free him from the driver’s seat,” the spokesman said.
“Capsicum spray was used a second time on the man, he was successfully removed from the bus and arrested.”
Footage shows that five officers eventually pinned the man to the ground. His clothes somehow fell off during the arrest and he was screaming as the police put handcuffs on him.
A 28-year-old Adelaide man was taken to hospital for medical attention before police laid charges against him.
A police spokesman said he has been charged with four counts of assault on an emergency worker and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
Two officers were also taken to the hospital after one member suffered an eye injury and a second officer suffered a head injury.
A bus passenger needed treatment for the effects of pepper spray.