Riot police arrest 12, seize rifle
By Paul Carter, Krystyna Pollard and David Crawshaw
February 28, 2005
From: AAP
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12394367-2,00.html
Standoff ... police under attack this morning / Adam Ward
RIOT police have arrested 12 people and seized a rifle today amid continuing violence sparked by the deaths of two teenagers in a stolen car.
Rioters meanwhile threw bottles, fireworks and stones at a line of police during a fourth night of unrest at Macquarie Fields in south-western Sydney.
The arrests came after dozens of heavily armed police in riot gear stormed a house, armed with a search and arrest warrant.
Police arrested three males and two females and seized a rifle during the search, a spokesman said.
One of the females was expected to be charged with concealing a serious indictable offence.
Police had earlier arrested five men and a male youth for rioting, hindering police and offensive behaviour, while a 15-year-old girl was arrested for assaulting police.
The violence was sparked by the deaths of teenagers Dyllan Raywood, 17, and Matthew Robertson, 19, during a police pursuit in Macquarie Fields.
The pair were killed when they hit a tree in a stolen car late on Friday night.
The driver of the car, who is known to police, fled the scene and has not been found.
About 8pm (AEDT) today, officers had completed a search of a house on the corner of Cottonwood Crescent and Eucalyptus Drive, about 200m from where the two teenagers died in the car crash.
A line of about 30 police in riot gear then advanced on a crowd of about 100 people, forcing them 100m back up Eucalyptus Drive.
As police advanced, rioters continued to throw projectiles.
The police then stopped and retreated to the corner of Cottonwood Crescent and Eucalyptus Drive, putting a space of some 200m between them and the rioters.
There they formed a line again and the crowd kept their distance.
In a sudden move, the riot police jumped into two police vans and drove off up the street, away from the rioters.
Police left the area as a helicopter hovered above, shining its spotlight on the crowd.
About 45 minutes later, police vehicles began patrolling the area as residents continued to mill about the streets.
On Sunday night, molotov cocktails and rocks were hurled at police in the third night of rioting.
Four people were arrested and one officer suffered a broken hand during the clashes.
The riots are Sydney's worst since the inner suburb of Redfern became a hotspot following the death of 17-year-old Thomas "TJ" Hickey last year.
The New South Wales Government meanwhile vowed to crack down on rioters, with Premier Bob Carr saying media footage would be used to identify troublemakers.
"What will happen now ... is a process of identification using tapes as happened in Redfern, with charges being pressed against people who are seen to have had a hand in this riotous behaviour," Mr Carr said.
Police Minister Carl Scully said officers were prepared for more violence and would make further arrests.
Flowers, cards and bottles of beer were left as tributes to the two teenagers at the crash site, along with a banner which read: "We know who the real criminals are, we just want justice".
Eucalyptus Drive also is dotted with graffiti threatening police, including messages reading: "Police will die", "Cops kill kids", and "We will kill you dogs".
NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney said the slogans were the worst he had seen.
"I've been a police officer for 40 years and have never seen these sorts of slogans written on walls at any time in this state," he told reporters.
Mr Moroney rejected residents' suggestions the police car involved in the chase rammed the stolen car during the pursuit.
Redfern erupted in violence early last year following the death of teenager TJ Hickey, who was impaled on a fence while riding his bicycle in the area.
Many locals blamed police for his death.
A coronial inquest later found police were not chasing TJ at the time of his death and were not responsible for the accident.
Police have defended their actions in Maquarie Fields, saying the officers involved in the chase followed police pursuit protocol.
"We did not engage this conflict," said Superintendent John Sweeney, from Macquarie Fields.
Mr Carr said the youths who died were "persons of interest" to police and were not simply wanted for car theft.
"There was police activity taking place quite unrelated to the pursuit of a stolen car," he said.
The first four people arrested include a 21-year-old man, charged with rioting, and a 25-year-old man, charged with rioting and carrying an unlawful assembled offensive instrument.
The men, who were treated for dog bites, were refused bail and will appear in Campbelltown Local Court.
A 17-year-old local youth was charged with affray and was refused bail to appear in Reiby Childrens Court, while another youth was cautioned and released.
A 13-year-old boy was detained by police and released into the custody of his mother.
Unwavering support
Mr Carr stuck by the police force, saying the officers had done the best they could under the circumstances.
"I am here today to simply reinforce a message of the Government's unwavering support for the police in the front line and the job they are doing in a very difficult situation," he said.
"There are no excuses for this kind of behaviour and the police have the Government's total support and I believe the community's total support.
"I regret any view that a police pursuit provides justification of riotous behaviour."
The youths' deaths would now be the subject of a coronial inquiry, Mr Carr said.
"That is the opportunity for people to come forward and voice any criticism they may have," he said.
But Mr Carr refused to comment on speculation the riots were a result of the socio-economic situation in Macquarie Fields, which has more than 1000 public housing residences.
"I will not have it said this behaviour is caused by social disadvantage," Mr Carr said.
The Government spent $49 million between 1996 and 2003 to improve housing design and layout.
"This area has not been neglected," he said.
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