ARMED YOUTH CAPTURED

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29315, 21 September 1960, Page 7

ARMED YOUTH CAPTURED

Held Police At Bay For 3 Hours

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) MELBOURNE, September 20. A 19-year-old Dutch youth, armed with a .22 automatic rifle, held more than 50 armed police at bay for nearly three hours today before he was overpowered. Senior Detective K. Platfuss. of Dandenong C. 1.8., rushed the youth when he was off guard in a barricaded aluminium classroom at the rear of the Dandenong High School, 18 miles from Melbourne.

The youth’s capture climaxed a three-hour battle of wits with the police. Soon after 6.30 am., a woman cleaner found the youth crouching in a classroom armed with a rifle and three boxes of ammunition. She Tan to a nearby house and telephoned the police who arrived about 7 am. Police and several civilians, armed with rifles, tried to coax the crazed youth, who lias only been in Australia five months, from his stronghold. The youth fired three shots at the police. After 10 minutes of trying to persuade the youth, Henk Graven, of Dandenong, a labourer, to give himself up. Inspector H. McKnight sent for the youth’s girl-friend and her mother. Both tried unsuccessfully to coax the youth to give himself up. Then Senior Detective Platfuss, with the young girl, moved around into the open quadrangle towards a half-open door leading into the classroom as police tried to attract the youth’s attention from the rear.

Detective Platfuss quickly overpowered him and after rushing at him hustled the youth,, clad in an overcoat and scarf, to the police outside.