A bizarre, high-stakes game of cat and mouse played out at Tallebudgera Creek last week, where a man repeatedly evaded police for nearly three hours—even after being tased—in a chaotic water chase that has now gone viral with millions of views.
Taser? No problem. Water? His escape route.
The drama began around 10 am (local time) when police and paramedics responded to reports of a man behaving erratically in the water. But instead of cooperating, the 31-year-old fought back, throwing punches at officers on the beach before making a break for the creek.
A TikTok clip, now boasting over six million views, shows the man backpedaling away from police, dodging tasers like a pro. Even after being hit, he shrugged it off and dove into the water, leaving stunned officers scrambling for a new strategy.
The ultimate aquatic getaway
Once in the creek, police deployed a jet ski to corner him. But he zigzagged like an Olympic swimmer, dodging capture while officers attempted to herd him back to shore. At one point, he reached for the jet ski, only for it to speed away—turning the chase into a full-blown spectacle.
Beachgoers watched in disbelief as the man latched onto a surf lifesaving craft, finally bringing him to shore—where officers handcuffed him in knee-deep water at around 1 pm, 9News reported.
“What getting arrested looks like in Australia,” read the text over the viral TikTok.
“Running into a body of water while getting tased is crazy,” commented one person on the clip.
“The taser didn’t affect him one bit?” someone else asked.
“I’d love to know the story of the lead up to this,” someone else shared.
What’s next?
The man, charged with two counts of serious assault on a police officer, is set to appear in Coolangatta Magistrates Court on March 24.
For now, the internet is still processing one of the wildest arrests Australia has ever seen—and wondering if that “water escape” tactic will go down in history.
