A Queensland man thought he was just doing a good deed when he pulled over to help a stranded driver on the Sunshine Coast.
But moments later, Oscar Brownbill realised he had unknowingly picked up a man allegedly armed with a gun and on the run from police.
The 31‑year‑old passenger had allegedly crashed a car on the Sunshine Motorway near the Sippy Downs exit before fleeing the scene on Wednesday.
Police were already searching for the man after a neighbourhood dispute the day before when he allegedly brandished a firearm, and officers believed he was armed and dangerous.
However, Brownbill had no idea when the man hitched a ride with him.
“I was like, hey mate, do you need a hand with anything? And he was like, yeah cool, sweet,” he told 7NEWS exclusively.
At first, Brownbill thought he was just helping someone out, but the man’s behaviour quickly changed, and the innocent bystander realised his passenger was allegedly armed.
“I was just driving, trying to be nice — not piss him off. At that point I knew he was dangerous,” Brownbill said.
They travelled about 10 kilometres towards Woombye before police swooped.
Dashcam and phone vision captured by other drivers shows officers confronting the man on Nambour Connection Rd while Brownbill used his ute as a shield.
“That’s when cops came, guns drawn,” he said.
“I think they thought I was part of it at first — obviously I just picked up this dude trying to help.”
Police allege the man got out of Brownbill’s vehicle armed with a firearm and approached officers, who opened fire, striking him in the shoulder.
Officers immediately rendered first aid before the man was taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital in a stable condition.
A crime scene has been declared at Woombye, and the Ethical Standards Command will investigate the shooting under the oversight of the Crime and Corruption Commission.
Queensland Police Union President Shane Prior said officers showed “exceptional bravery”.
“The environment our police operate in every single day has never been more dangerous than it is right now,” he said.
It is the second police shooting in Queensland in as many days, after 21‑year‑old Seth Torenbeek was shot dead during a welfare check in Tingalpa.
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