Steven Keith Williams: 33-year-old charged after ‘wielding hunting knife’ at Fremantle netball courts
Children at a set of Fremantle netball courts were ushered out of the way as police descended on an alleged knife-wielding man at gunpoint on Wednesday.
Police have charged 33-year-old Steven Keith Williams man after he allegedly wielded a hunting knife at Frank Gibson Park netball courts on High Street.
The shocking incident came hours before the WA State Government unveiled its plan to introduce the toughest stop-and-search knife laws in the country.
Around 4pm police received reports of a man wielding a knife at the courts where more than 100 children were training.
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Members of the public — including concerned parents — helped direct police to the man’s location before one officer drew their firearm.
“It will be alleged the man was armed with a hunting knife and was causing fear,” a police spokesperson said.
Angus, who witnessed the incident, told 7NEWS that police officers moved a child out of the way before the man was urged to drop the large weapon with their guns drawn.
A 33-year-old man who was allegedly armed with a knife in front of children playing netball on Wednesday in Fremantle has been charged by police Credit: 7NEWS/supplied
“He put his hands in the air and they told him to hit the ground, and he hit the ground right away,” he said.
Police arrested the man at the scene before he was charged with being armed in a way that may cause fear. He fronted Fremantle Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The new proposed WA knife laws are expected to be drafted and introduced into Parliament in the second half of 2024.
Police will be given powers to search people for knives in designated entertainment precincts with hand-held metal detectors, known as “wands”. They would also be empowered to designate temporary three square kilometre knife search zones in any public location in the WA.