IT WAS a car chase to rival any of the carefully choreographed set pieces that have graced the silver screen in recent years.
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Sonny Middleton’s dogged pursuit of the thieves who stole a ute from his family’s car dealership was plucked straight from the pages of a Hollywood script.
It had twists, turns and came to a dramatic climax when the stolen vehicle – nursing thousands of dollars worth of dents and scratches – rolled onto its side in a paddock.
The baddies might have got away – for now – however the car was recovered and the good guys won the day.
But this was not a scene from an action movie.
The criminals were real, desperate and dangerous, and Mr Middleton had no stunt double to stand in for him during the perilous scenes.
Mr Middleton’s actions cannot be condoned, but they can be understood.
The police ordered him not to pursue the vehicle and leave it to the trained professionals – with the benefit of hindsight it was an order he should have obeyed.
However, clearly he was overcome by a combination of anger and adrenaline.
Small business owners are working damn hard to carve out a living amid a tempestuous economic climate.
To see thieves making off with merchandise worth thousands of dollars is enough to make anyone see red.
This last week has seen a number of businesses, residences and people targeted by thieves,
Golden Square man Mathew Kast is struggling to come to terms with the theft of a motorcycle helmet signed by some of the sport’s greatest from his home.
The helmet, in addition to its financial worth, holds enormous sentimental value as it was gifted to him by his late father.
And, perhaps even more disturbingly, was the armed hold-up of a woman withdrawing cash from a Commonwealth Bank ATM in Hargreaves Mall on Saturday night.
It goes without saying that residents should be able to go about their lives without interference from criminals.
The sad reality, however, is that all too frequently the lives of law-abiding citizens intersect with those in society out for a quick buck.
There is no easy solution, but more investment in helping the addicted, indebted and unemployed would be a good start.
- Ross Tyson, deputy editor