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Bomb scare seals off Monash freeway as truck driver arrested Bomb scare seals off Monash freeway as truck driver surrenders to police
(about 4 hours later)
A 35-year-old Melbourne man has been arrested following a siege that left the Monash freeway in lockdown amid concerns he may have been carrying a bomb. A man who appeared to have a bomb strapped to his head led police on a chase down a Melbourne freeway before stripping naked and surrendering.
A major police operation was launched near the St Kevin's college private school in Toorak on Thursday morning with motorists evacuated and the freeway closed between Kooyong Road and Burke Road. Police who were responding to a breakdown call were confronted by the man with a bomb-like device strapped to his head.
The bomb squad was called but police later declared the area safe and roads were reopened about 7am. However, the incident, which began about 4am, was expected to cause traffic delays during the morning peak period. A 35-year-old Caulfield South man was arrested after a short police chase and a siege ended with him stripping naked and surrendering, police say.
A man from Caulfield South was arrested at the scene following a stand-off with police that lasted about an hour. About 50 police officers, including the bomb squad, responded to the incident near St Kevin's College that shut-down part of the freeway and forced motorists to evacuate in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Earlier, the man had allegedly led police on a high-speed chase after a prime mover without a trailer began travelling on the freeway in the wrong direction. Officers received a call to attend the truck breakdown on the Monash freeway about 4am on Thursday.
The man is alleged to have told police after being stopped that he had a bomb on the truck. Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Martin Bourke said when police approached the driver they saw what may have been a bomb strapped to his head.
Police ordered an exclusion zone around the scene near Toorak Road at Glen Iris and the bomb response unit was called. "Police then observed what appeared to be a suspicious device strapped to this male so we backed right off and tried to negotiate with the male," Det Bourke said.
An area around the truck was cordoned off by police, and motorists evacuated back to a safe distance. "The device was around his head."
But the incident caused immediate traffic chaos which was expected to last hours. After negotiation attempts failed, the man drove his truck away from police.
The inbound lanes of the Monash freeway were blocked off at Warrigal Road while drivers were advised to use Dandenong Road, Queens Road and Kingsway to get into the city. Police chased the driver for about 4km before he stopped, did a U-turn and started driving into on-coming traffic on the Monash freeway. Police stopped the traffic at Toorak Road and evacuated the freeway.
"In his truck, in his prime mover he got up to about 100km/h, accelerating quite quickly towards the on-coming traffic," Det Bourke said.
"It was an incredibly risky situation."
The man stopped his truck just short of vehicles that had been parked on the freeway after their drivers were evacuated.
Police again attempted to negotiate with the man, who stripped naked and then surrendered.
The man was arrested and taken to the Alfred hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
Roads were re-opened about 7am after the area was declared safe.
The device was not an explosive device. The man has not been charged.