The Queensland Police have charged the gunman at the centre of the Brisbane Queen St. Mall siege with seven offences following yesterday’s incident, in which the shopping precinct beloved of loitering youths and bargains alike was evacuated as part of an emergency situation that played out like a poorly-scripted B-movie on Twitter.
According to The ABC, Lee Matthew Hillier, 34, has been charged with five accounts of serious assault on the police, one count of going armed so as to cause fear and one count of carrying an exposed weapon in a public place.
Following the incident, Hillier was taken to the Royal Brisbane Hospital “with non life-threatening injuries” sustained as a result of the use of the “non-lethal beanbag pellets” which were used to subdue him and bring the standoff to an end. Beanbag pellets, presumably, are not as fun as they sound.
He’s believed to be under police guard while he waits in recovery.
Hillier, a father of three, is expected to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on March 15th.
via The ABC
