EXCLUSIVE: Agitated man jumps CBD bank counter in Melbourne accusing staff of stealing his money before he is gagged, drugged and hauled away by cops
- Up to a dozen police were called to the ANZ bank in the heart of Melbourne
- The man allegedly jumped the counter after learning he had no cash
- Police cuffed the man on the street where he shouted for ‘real’ police to come
- The man also claimed there was an active shooter in the tower
- Paramedics had to sedate the man before he could be taken away
A highly agitated man has been dramatically arrested in Melbourne’s CBD after he jumped the counter of a busy bank after being refused money.
Heavily armed police officers descended on the ANZ bank on the corner of Collins and Queen streets in the heart of Melbourne just before 11am on Tuesday.
In wild scenes in the smoke-filled city, people wearing gas masks walked by as police wrestled the man to the footpath.
Police tackle a 41-year old man to the footpath as he shouts for help
Paramedics needed to sedate the man before he could be moved to an ambulance
A witness told Daily Mail Australia she had been inside the bank when the man ‘went off his head’.
‘He went off when he found out that he didn’t have any money in his account,’ the witness said. ‘He was shouting and screaming. He left and then came back again.’
The witness said the angry customer then jumped the bank counter when staff refused to hand him over any money.
‘They just scattered and called security,’ she said.
The witness claimed the man phoned police himself as security staff scurried to catch him.
Outside, cuffed and placed on the ground, the man pleaded with police to go inside the bank and get his money.
‘I’ve done nothing wrong,’ he shouted.
The man claimed his banking details had been stolen and staff refused to assist him.
But as police waited for paramedics to arrive, the man became more agitated.
‘They’re going to murder me. Help,’ he shouted as police took him to ground.
“There is a man in the tower with a gun.’
Up to a dozen police attended the scene where the man was placed on busy Collins Street until he was wrestled up the stairs off the bank off the busy footpath
Melburnians walk by as police deal with the screaming and out-of-control man who earlier allegedly jumped over a bank counter
As fire-choked Melburnians walked past the scene wearing gas masks due to the smoke, police attempted to subdue the out-of-control-man.
Police sources have told Daily Mail Australia the man was a well-known on the streets of Melbourne.
But the disturbing incident continued to play out for up to 45 minutes before shocked passers-by.
‘I see him up there. He’s going to shoot me,’ the man shouted as police tried to move him off the street.
‘You set me up,’ he shouted. ‘There is a guy up there in the tower.’
The ugly incident continued on the stairs of the ANZ bank for up to another 20 minutes, off busy Collins Street, as the man continued to beg and scream for help.
‘Someone call the police. The real police,’ he shouted. ‘But don’t call 000.’
‘Film it everybody,’ he yelled.
As police tried to calm the man down, he became more and more agitated, telling police he could not breathe.
The man gasped and choked for air in a dramatic display as people walked by.
When he was eventually taken away, the man shouted out that paramedics were injecting him with something.
As he was dragged onto the stretcher, the man continued to scream, despite appearing to be gagged.
A police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that the 41-year-old man was arrested and transported to hospital for assessment.