Thread by @mhfcbozza

So this is what I just watched go down in Springvale. I just wanted to grab some fuel and a bite to eat! *THREAD*

I'm driving down Springvale Rd when I see a huge plume of thick white smoke cover the street and surrounding area, I had no idea what was causing it or where it was,

but the amount of smoke meant there was clearly something wrong. I immediately pull over and dial 000 and ask for the fire brigade to attend. While on the phone I'm told they have another call who says a car has crashed and it is a car fire,

so I move the car a bit closer and get out to see if I can get a better look. I was on the other side of a busy road so I didn't want to just run across.

I see all the damage done by the car but can't see the car where it really should be, that's because the car is still moving,

or at least trying to. I hear the on and off revving of an engine so I figured somebody was trying to flee. I can already see a number of people surrounding the property on the corner, and as I get closer I can see one or two of the locals are trying to get in through the window

I keep trying to get closer, but again loads of traffic, and as I manage to get over the road the first fire truck arrives. They clear the locals and assess the situation, the car is still trying to make a getaway and is wedged kind of on its belly.

It's still getting a bit of traction on the wheels so there's a bit more smoke from the rubber burning but it is firmly going nowhere.

The next thing I see is this random car stopped in the middle of the road and a fire truck have to slam on the anchors to avoid a second

collision at the scene... Seriously never seen a fire truck stop so fast! People driving, you really need to pay more attention, if you see lights or hear sirens, pay attention to your surroundings and look to get out of the way as best as you can... Try to to freeze yeah?

So I'm finally over the road and watching this all unfold, but I realise I'm standing right behind this car, and so are a bunch of locals watching. About the same time is when the fire fighters probably realise these guys aren't giving up and the police aren't here yet so

somebody needs to act. My contribution here is just to make sure everyone around me is alert to the fact that this car could take off at any second and we could well be in the way.

One fire fighter manages to break the drivers window and make a grab for the keys,

which of course the two men in the car don't appreciate, so there's a bit of a scuffle but the fire fighter wins and makes off with the keys. So these guys figure it's finally time to leave the car.

One guy gets out and here I'm figuring he's going to bolt...

but he doesn't, he starts picking up his things from the car, so now I'm thinking he's given up? NOPE

The police haven't made it yet, but they usually are last to arrive, and just as these guys look like they've got their stuff in order,

two police cars race in from opposite directions and they try to grab these guys. One gets away, but I think they grab the driver.

So a foot race of sorts begins, and at this stage the police probably didn't realise they were in for this so there's only 4 officers there

and 2 of them are 'occupied' with the driver. They get over some fences but lose the guy in the houses.

ENTER THE COMMUNITY!

A good chunk of the people in the street see what's going on, so we all instinctively spread out looking for this guy. We didn't speak to each other,

we just all knew what to do. We cover every fence-line along Springvale Road all the way to the next street.

Then I spot this peering face over one of the fences, it takes me a few seconds before I recognise the person as the one we are looking for,

I thought initially it could be just a local, but when I realise it's not I yell for the police pointing and shouting at this guy, who disappears behind the fence again.

I stay put though and keep an eye on the fence as the police continue to try and locate him

and I don't see him again for a few minutes at least. My guess is he's found a little spot and is just waiting to make a break again, maybe he's even stashing something? Who knows.

Nek minnut, I hear yelling from the side street, and I see the 2 officers make chase again

into this apartment complex. But it's just the two of them and they've gone the same way, so here I figure is my moment to help. I've sized this guy up, he's smaller and not carrying anything so I'm not in any danger if I come across him, oh and also

I forgot to mention he's not wearing any pants for some reason, neither of them were when they got out of the car... It's maybe 12 degrees so clearly something wrong.

So I make a dash at what I consider to be my top speed along the main road, thinking he's probably

going to pop out over a fence somewhere and I can cut him off for the officers. I was right, but I was also not very fast... I'm 135kgs so me at top speed is probably like watching a go-kart race a formula one car as the two cops go speeding by me, but it doesn't matter.

They've got him easy as he tries to cross Springvale Road through all the cars.

I thought I was going to have a moment but really I was just front row to watch it all go down!

The first officer grabs him just on the other side of the road, and does the nice job of tackling the

running man onto the grass so he has a nice cushion to land on - it honestly seemed planned the way he did it so props to the officer. The 2nd officer comes in and his first act is to land a knee to this guys face, not really sure it was called for but the running man

wasn't exactly making life easy for them so I presume this is part of their training to subdue someone who will not comply.

I check with another officer to make sure I don't need to continue scanning the fences for someone else, and they say all good they've got them both.

So off I go finally to get fuel and food.

The poor people on the corner now have a busted up front yard and a few fences to replace. And really I haven't done anything to help and haven't seen anything more than what the fire fighters saw or I'd stay to offer a statement.

Instead I've headed home to relax and let the adrenaline roll off me with a solid story to tell!