Queensland Police arrest two men over alleged attempted murder in Rockville

Two men wanted over the alleged tomahawk attack on an elderly man have been arrested after police raided homes, finding one of the men hiding in a cupboard. Queensland Police have been hunting for the two men since the alleged attack at a Toowoomba home on October 18.

Two men wanted over the alleged tomahawk attack on an elderly man have been arrested after police raided homes, finding one of the men hiding in a cupboard.

Queensland Police have been hunting for the two men since the alleged attack at a Toowoomba home on October 18.

They were ultimately arrested on November 6 after weeks of police searching for the two men.

One man was allegedly found hiding in a cupboard from police while the second man was arrested after fleeing another home on Monday.

Southern Region Detective Acting Superintendent Heath McQueen told reporters on Tuesday police had searched relentlessly for the pair despite the two men effectively going underground.

“It has been relentless and there was no stone left unturned,” he said.

“We have employed lawful harassment as a tactic because there were members of the community and associates who have harboured those two (people) to prevent them from being detected and apprehended.

“There were a number of occasions where we’d enter houses to apprehend them and they had been tipped off by those within their associate groups.

“We were entering houses and standing on people to provide us information that we need to get these people out of the community and into the judicial system.”

Police allege the two men, aged 18 and 19, broke into the Trousdell Ct home in Rockville, Toowoomba, and attacked the 68-year-old resident, who was home at the time with his wife, about 6.20am on October 18.

During a struggle the man was allegedly attacked with a tomahawk, suffering serious lacerations to his chest.

He was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition. The two men fled on foot soon afterwards.

Police will further allege the 19-year-old man tried to carjack a vehicle while a man was sitting in the car Goombungee Rd in Harlaxton, in Toowoomba, on November 6.

The 19-year-old allegedly threatened the man, before hitting the victim with the blunt end of the knife.

The victim managed to flee by driving away. He suffered minor injuries from the incident.

Moments later, a man and woman were changing a tyre on a vehicle, which was also parked on Goombungee Rd, when an allegedly stolen Hyundai Veloster pulled up beside them.

Two men got out of the car and allegedly threatened the pair with a meat cleaver, a knife and an axe, demanding they hand over the keys to the car.

When the man and woman refused, the pair then allegedly fled in the car they’d arrived in.

The car, which was allegedly stolen from an home on Grenier St in Toowoomba on November 5, was later found abandoned at nearby Griffith St.

Police later attended a home in Harlaxton on Tuesday where they arrested the 18-year-old man.

He was charged with attempted murder, attempted enter premises and commit indictable offence and enter dwelling with intent.

Police also allege the 19-year-old man also broke into Hill St home in Toowoomba City and stole personal items from the home about 12.30pm on November 6.

A 46-year-old man was allegedly assaulted with a piece of timber during the home invasion.

The 19-year-old man was later arrested at a Wilsonton home and charged with nine offences, including attempted murder, attempted robbery armed in company, attempted enter premises and commit indictable offence and receiving tainted property.

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Both men are expected to appear before Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Detective Acting Superintendent McQueen said police were also “looking closely” at whether they would charge anyone who harboured the two men in the last three weeks.

Police used a policing technique called lawful harassment as part of their search efforts to find the two men.

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