Detectives from Victoria Police Crime Command have charged a boy following an incident in Avalon yesterday afternoon.
Officers were called to the airport after a male had allegedly entered a commercial flight with a firearm on Thursday, March 6, about 2:20pm.
A 17-year-old boy, dressed in high-vis and appearing like ground crew staff, was detained by crew and passengers on flight JQ610 to Sydney until police arrived.
Police allegedly located two bags and a vehicle belonging to the boy.
The Bomb Response Unit were called to assist with the bags as a safety precaution.
Fortunately no one was physically injured during the incident.
Superintendent Michael Reid told reporters that, on Thursday evening, the teenager, acting alone, had entered Avalon Airport via a hole in a security fence.
He said the teen made his way to the plane and walked up the stairs, but once he was just inside the plane, he was overpowered by several passengers.
“No doubt this would have been a very terrifying incident for the passengers of that plane and Victoria Police really commend the bravery of the passengers who were able to overpower that male,” Superintendent Reid said.
He confirmed the youth was carrying a loaded shotgun.
He said police were talking to Counter Terrorism Command but the incident was not yet being treated as terrorism.
“It’s too early to establish that,” he said.
Barry Clark, a shearer from Echuca, told ABC Radio Melbourne he first noticed the young man when he realised a female flight attendant was questioning him.
“He was dressed up as a worker and he got agitated and before we knew, it there was a gun — shotgun appeared — and I was worried about there being shots so all I could do was get the gun out of the way, threw it down the stairs — try to — and then put him in a hold and throw him to the ground til the police come,” he said.
“He had other apparatus on him so I didn’t know what his full intention was.”
Asked what was going through his mind when he tackled the young man, Mr Clark said: “You don’t think, you act.”
“I’ve been taught from a boy to be responsible and look after others and we’re a sporting family so I was quietly confident I could handle him but I didn’t want to see that poor girl get shot so you’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do,” he said.
Mr Clark said the young man with the gun was dressed up to avoid attention.
“He looked like a technician and the lady that stopped him was the lady checking all the tickets and he couldn’t come up with the credentials so then he got agitated.”
Mr Clark said he spoke to the boy for about 10 minutes until police arrived.
The 17-year-old boy has been charged with several offences including unlawfully taking control of an aircraft, endangering the safety of an aircraft, carrying out a bomb hoax and possessing a firearm.
He was remanded in custody to appear at a children’s court at a later date.
