IndyCar Champion's Father Faces Armed Carjacker in Terrifying Easter Monday Ordeal
The father of IndyCar champion Will Power has been caught up in a frightening alleged carjacking incident, coming face-to-face with an armed man in a harrowing confrontation that unfolded on Easter Monday. Bob Power, a motorsport legend in his own right, described the terrifying moment when a man allegedly approached him with a sawn-off rifle and demanded his vehicle.
Police Detail 36-Hour Crime Spree Across Darling Downs
Queensland police allege the 39-year-old Westbrook man had been on a 36-hour crime spree across the Darling Downs region before his dramatic arrest. Authorities claim the man stole a silver Toyota RAV4 at gunpoint in Newtown on Saturday afternoon, setting off a chain of criminal activities that would eventually lead to the confrontation with Power.
The alleged offender was tracked by unmarked police vehicles and PolAir helicopter to Spring Creek, where he reportedly fired a single shot into the air before stealing another car. Police further accuse him of carjacking a third vehicle in Mount Marshall, evading officers in Oakey, and stealing a Toyota LandCruiser from a Chinchilla address late Sunday night.
Bob Power's Terrifying Confrontation
Bob Power said his quiet Easter Monday took a frightening turn when the alleged offender approached him with the sawn-off rifle. "I was wrestling with it a little bit and I didn't want him to get in the car so he had the shotgun pointed at me," Power told 7NEWS. "I thought he was going to shoot me. And I said 'don't shoot me... don't shoot me.'"
Power's dog was still inside the vehicle during the confrontation, prompting him to ask the alleged offender for a moment before handing over the car. "I was just getting the dog out and the police arrived and pounced on him," he recounted. Officers moved in quickly, arresting the man at the scene and ending the ordeal within moments.
Police Response and Court Proceedings
The LandCruiser stolen from Chinchilla was later seen in Toowoomba on Monday morning before the alleged confrontation with Power around 1pm. Police recovered the sawn-off rifle allegedly used during the carjacking, providing crucial evidence in the case.
The 39-year-old man faced Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Tuesday, charged with 15 offences related to the crime spree. He was remanded in custody as the legal proceedings continue. The swift police intervention likely prevented further escalation of the dangerous situation.
Bob Power expressed relief at the outcome, noting with a laugh that the police arrival "saved the car and me — yeah perhaps me — I was all right." The incident highlights the broader crime spree that had unfolded across Queensland's Darling Downs region over the Easter weekend.
