A Victorian man has been charged after allegedly acting erratically at the Russian Consulate in Sydney’s east before ploughing a car into the front gate.
Police locked down the quiet street in Woollahra for most of the day as detectives tried to work out what motivated the attack.
According to officers, the man had parked his SUV before allegedly jumping the fence of the consulate and entering the grounds of the premises and then returning to the car.
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When police attempted to speak to the 39-year-old man while he was sitting inside the SUV, he allegedly accelerated and rammed into the front gate.
Locals told 9News they first saw officers approach a man while he was parked in the driveway outside the consulate.
A 24-year-old constable hurt his hand but was treated by paramedics and returned to help man the crime scene, where his colleagues collected bags of potential evidence.
“It was like watching an American reality show, it really was,” one resident said.
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“This only happens in America, not in Sydney.”
The car was thoroughly searched and deemed safe before it was loaded onto a tow truck and taken away for forensic examination.
While the motive remains unclear, police have charged 39-year-old Rimi Abraham with 10 offences, including destroying property and using an offensive weapon to prevent a police investigation.
He will face a Sydney court tomorrow.
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