A quiet morning for Michael Voss was turned on its head on Tuesday when the Carlton coach chased down an alleged car thief armed with a knife and held on to him until police arrived on the scene. Voss, a regular at Barton Milk Bar in Hawthorn, was waiting for his coffee order on Tuesday morning when a car flipped outside the cafe.
The Blues boss was among a group of three or four people to go out and investigate and when two people emerged from the car and sprinted away, Voss took off in pursuit. Cafe owner James Laskie, who also took part in the chase, told reporters at the scene that he had been making Voss’ coffee on what had been a quiet morning when he looked up and saw a car going through a roundabout fast enough to flip.
He described two young people, who appeared to be intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, emerging from the overturned car, collecting their belongings and then sprinting off. Voss, who had been filming the situation, immediately pursued the pair and Laskie followed. He said the chase had forced him and Voss had to “scale a couple of fences and jump over some bins and it was pretty hectic”.
While Voss grabbed the 16-year-old, the other person got away, though Laskie continued the chase. He said the 16-year-old had not been aggressive. “We had to hold on to him until police arrived,” Laskie said, adding that police had found “quite a large knife” when they had searched the boy.
Police confirmed they had arrested a 16-year-old Mooroopna boy after he tried to flee from an allegedly stolen Mercedes-Benz. In a statement, they said officers were told the Mercedes lost control and rolled before it landed on its side on a footpath on Barton Street just before 9am on Tuesday. “The two occupants ran from the scene, however one teen was detained by a member of the public,” police said. “Police continue to search for the second male offender, who is described as having a fair complexion, long blonde hair and wearing a black cap, black and white scarf, black hoodie and black pants.”
Voss, whose father is a retired police officer, briefly spoke to Nine at the scene. “It was a little bit of action, I was sort of hoping to be on a couple of days’ break, but it’s all good,” he said. The AFL competition will pause this weekend for a pre-finals bye before the Blues play an elimination final against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday week. He said he had spoken to police, but wouldn’t confirm any specific details about the incident or his involvement.
Charli Linke, 20, a staff member at Barton Milk Bar, was working when the car flipped outside the cafe. She said she hadn’t heard the car coming. “It was just when it flipped over when everyone sort of rushed outside,” she told this masthead, adding that the car had flipped right near a children’s crossing but “thankfully, no one was walking there”. She called the police as her boss and the Carlton coach gave chase. “It got a bit hectic here,” Linke said, as staff tried to keep up with their regular work and the attention from those interested in the incident. “It’s been crazy, so many of the residents coming around to have a peek and getting a coffee.”
An onlooker, who contacted 3AW’s Jacqui Felgate said they wanted to give Voss “a huge shoutout” for his efforts. In comments published on Felgate’s Instagram account, the witness, who described themselves as a “mad Bulldogs fan”, said the Blues would have a new supporter when they played their elimination final. “Blues fans, what a fearless leader you have!”
A Carlton spokesman said Voss had not been injured. “We can confirm he is completely fine, unharmed, and provided a full statement to police, given he witnessed the incident. “Vossy is OK with it all. No harm done on his part.”
Laskie praised Voss’ quick thinking. “Vossy’s very fit, very quick … I wouldn’t want to be against him in a beep test,” he joked. “I was just playing second fiddle,” he said of his own efforts. “The heart rate’s up there.”
Laskie said they’d remade Voss’ coffee on the day – and the Blues coach would get a few on the house in future.
Voss’ heroics drew comparisons with the actions of another AFL luminary, the late Ron Barassi, also a former Carlton coach. Then in his 70s, Barassi received an Australian Bravery Award after chasing and tackling an offender on New Year’s Day 2009.
Anyone who witnessed Tuesday’s incident or has dashcam or CCTV footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
