‘I Wish I Had a Bullet and Shot You’: Chilling Moment Man Pulled Replica Gun on Police, Sparking Fears of a Tragic Outcome
- Jarred Drew Heath, 36, pleaded guilty to seriously assaulting a police officer after pointing a fake gun at them in a Gatton caravan park
- Heath told police he wished the gun was real and that he wanted to shoot them, sparking fears of a tragic outcome
- The incident occurred just seven months after two police officers were shot and killed in a separate incident, and days after National Police Remembrance Day
In a shocking and disturbing incident, a man has walked free from a Queensland court after pulling a replica gun on police and telling them he wished it was real. Jarred Drew Heath, 36, pleaded guilty to seriously assaulting a police officer in the Ipswich District Court on Thursday, alongside several other minor offences.
The court heard that Heath was asked by police to turn down the music at a caravan park in Gatton, in the Lockyer Valley region west of Brisbane, just before midnight on July 4, 2023. However, instead of complying, Heath went back inside the caravan, turned off the music, and then came to the door holding what appeared to be a revolver, pointed at the police officer’s direction.
“You went back inside the caravan, turned off the music and then came to the caravan door holding what appeared to be a revolver … pointed at [the police officer’s] direction,” Judge Craig Chowdhury said. “During the struggle, the complainant felt you trying to point the gun at him again.”
Heath was eventually taken into custody, and it was discovered that the gun was a blank-fire revolver pistol, but “visually indistinguishable” from a real gun. “It wouldn’t have been able to fire a projectile, but the officers didn’t know that,” Judge Chowdhury said.
In a chilling moment, Heath made comments to the effect of ‘it’s just a cap gun’ and ‘wasn’t that a stupid f***ing idea’. However, things took a darker turn when he told police at the watch house that he actually wished he had a bullet and shot the officer. “Alarmingly, you told the [officer] that you actually wished you had a bullet and shot him … and that we need more AK’s [rifles] so we can shoot police,” Judge Chowdhury said.
Heath’s comments were described as “alarming” by Judge Chowdhury, who noted that the incident occurred just seven months after two police officers were shot and killed in a separate incident, and days after National Police Remembrance Day. “It’s no joking matter,” he said.
Heath was sentenced to 134 days in prison, with 134 days of pre-sentence custody declared as time served. He was also placed on a one-year probation order. Heath, who was supported in court by his mother, was embraced by a friend as he walked out of the courthouse.
The incident has sparked fears of a tragic outcome and highlighted the dangers faced by police officers on a daily basis. “It’s lucky the responding officers were cool, calm and collected, as there otherwise might have been a tragic outcome,” Judge Chowdhury said.