Police have tackled and restrained a man on a busy Geelong street corner on Monday afternoon after he was seen swaying, gesturing and approaching customers outside a service station.
The man, who was shirtless and wearing red running shoes, was in an altered state at the 7-Eleven near the corner of Swanston and Ryrie streets, opposite Geelong hospital.
The man was talking, and at times yelling, as he struggled to stay upright, roaming the carpark at the service station and stepping onto the busy road beside it.
On several occasions he approached the door of the convenience store and spoke to customers and passers-by who were clearly concerned by his presence.
Police arrived about 2.30pm and officers spoke to the man for several minutes, with one saying it was time for the man – who they appeared to be familiar with – to leave Geelong.
The man continued to sway and turn in circles before walking away from police towards Swanston St.
Officers then moved in to tackle and handcuff him, before loading him into a divvy van as a second police vehicle arrived.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman confirmed the man was not arrested and rather taken back to his house.
Anti-social behaviour continues to be an issue in central Geelong, where homelessness and drug use have created growing public safety concerns.
Extracted in full from: https://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/news/geelong/police-tackle-shirtless-man-outside-geelong-7eleven-after-service-station-disturbance/news-story/346b68b5165a45ef531df69c790a6999
