Teen who attacked policeman in e-ridable fracas at Optus Stadium blames cop, ‘should have called for back-up’

A teenager who assaulted a policeman in a mob attack at Optus Stadium insists he was punched first, saying the officer should have told him to “stop being a smart arse” and called for back-up instead. The 16-year-old testified on Tuesday at his Perth Children’s Court trial, where his lawyer’s application to have the case thrown out after the first day of evidence was dismissed. The boy, who cannot be identified due to his age, admitted he was cheeky when he leaned close to Senior Constable Mark Cooper’s face, puckered up and asked him if he wanted a kiss on the afternoon of December 28 last year. The traffic cop of 34 years had told the teen — and other boys taking part in a so-called “ride-out” event — that an unlicensed e-motorcycle he was sitting on was being confiscated after being illegally used on a public road. The scene quickly turned ugly, with the youths shouting obscenities and more converging. The boy said there was “no way” he was about to headbutt the officer, as Sen. Const. Cooper testified he feared, prompting the policeman to push out his hand to create space between them. Sen. Const. Cooper said he was also trying to grab the teen’s collar and arrest him. But the accused repeatedly told the court that the policeman punched him in the jaw then tried to put him in a headlock. “I’m just pushing him off me and he throws me around and then I’m pushing him against the wall,” the boy said under questioning from defence counsel Melissa Sanders. The teen said he then punched the officer “because I didn’t want him to hurt me anymore.” “I felt very scared and just alone. I wanted to call my mum, tell her what happened. But I didn’t have my phone.” He said his friend, to whom the e-motorbike belonged, seemed upset but denied under questioning from prosecutor James Nicholls that he was rallying on his mate’s behalf as the group protested loudly. “I was assaulted and I defended myself,” the boy said. Mr Nicholls put to the teen that he was “completely enraged” after the officer struck out at him, responding “very aggressively” to his restraint attempt. The boy agreed. He also conceded the policeman was within his rights to push him away but said he hadn’t expected a physical response for invading the cop’s personal space while “trying to be funny”. “I thought he would tell me to, like, ‘calm down . . . take a step back’. Tell me to ‘stop being a smart arse’. Something like that,” the boy said. “I didn’t expect he would punch me. “He lashed out at me because he was frustrated. “My reaction was to fight back.” The boy said he punched the officer once. “And when he lets go of me, I kick him once and leave,” he said. “I kicked him so he wouldn’t come back and punch me.” The teen — who is seen in footage of the fracas with another youth trying to hold him back — also admitted then pushing the officer in the back before he fell to the ground. He blamed Sen. Const Cooper for “arguing back” with the crowd about the e-bike. “He could have just told them to move on . . . he should have called for back-up,” he said. Mr Nicholls said the boy “created the situation”. “Yet he then claims the right to defend himself,” Mr Nicholls said. “He could have and should have desisted the moment things became physical.” Though it was hard to tell whether the vastly outnumbered policeman struck out with a closed fist or an open jab, he was “acting within the function of his office” in response to a perceived threat, Mr Nicholls said. The teen, on the other hand, responded disproportionately and unreasonably. “He was emboldened by the group and he was performing for them,” Mr Nicholls said. Magistrate Stephen Vose will hand down his verdict on Friday afternoon. “He (the boy) was the one who was clearly on the attack after the initial pushing away ... however you describe it,” Mr Vose said.