Overview
- On Saturday night a balaclava-clad man allegedly threatened a 14-year-old worker at the Long Jetty Chinese Restaurant with a hunting knife while the dinner service was busy, and two diners intervened to restrain him with one later flown to Sydney in serious condition.
- Police arrested 30-year-old Adrian Wargent at the scene and charged him with two counts of aggravated assault with intent to rob with wounding and grievous bodily harm, and a magistrate refused bail with the matter to return to court in late July.
- Officers returned to the restaurant after discovering suspected stolen property stashed behind the building and have begun reviewing nearby CCTV to determine whether the accused is linked to other thefts or offences.
- The teenage worker was not injured and police have praised community support for her and for the two rescuers, with some reports identifying the intervening diners as off-duty corrective services officers who risked serious harm.
- Superintendent Chad Gillies described the attack as unusually brazen for the area and investigators say the CCTV review and recovered property are the key developments that could widen the investigation or produce further charges.