General News
4 November, 2024
UPDATE: Man comes down from roof
AN exclusion zone declared by police at 10.30am this morning has been revoked after the man who climbed onto the roof of the Cairns Central shopping centre has finally come down.
The police have declared that there's no ongoing threat to the public after the man who scaled onto the roof of the shopping centre at about 8.40am today came down.
After several efforts to get the man to come down, the police declared an exclusion zone encompassing Spence and McLeod streets, Sheridan St through to Aplin St, Bunda St and Hartley St at 10.30am to contain the ongoing situation.
The exclusion zone was revoked at noon after police and emergency services managed to get the man down from the roof after almost four hours.
"The earlier emergency declaration under the Public Safety Preservation Act has been revoked. There is no ongoing threat to the public," a police update read.
According to onlookers, the man had allegedly been on the roof since at least 8.40am walking across it and vandalising what he could find.
Police officers placed a blue ladder against the building and tried to convince the man to get off the roof, but he pushed the ladder down.
“He’s been there for at least 30 minutes, he must’ve easily climbed to the roof from the side, he has no weapons, but he clearly isn’t doing too well,” an eyewitness said.
People were being turned away from the area as officers said the presence of people was “aggravating him (the man) even more”.
No other statements have been released by QPS at this stage and no other details are known about the man.
