A former rugby league player accused of spending decades hidden away in Queensland after an armed robbery and triple shooting at Melbourne’s Chadstone Shopping Centre has been arrested and is set to face court in Victoria.
Garry Sullivan, 78, appeared in prison greens with greying hair and a beard in Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday after his arrest during coordinated police raids in Southport and Nerang on the Gold Coast.
Victoria Police said the Southport man was taken into custody as part of an Armed Crime Squad investigation into the armed robbery and shooting at Chadstone Shopping Centre on May 16, 1994.
During the raids, police seized a number of mobile phones, two laptops and a quantity of cash. Detectives allege Sullivan had been living a “quiet life” in Southport for about the past 20 years.
Police said the arrest came after a public appeal for information earlier this month, when Armed Crime Squad detectives reopened the cold case following fresh intelligence.
Investigators allege the robbery happened about 11.40am, when two Armaguard employees, a 61-year-old man from North Melbourne and a 54-year-old man from Sandringham at the time, arrived at the shopping centre cinema to collect the weekend takings.
The pair were carrying three cash bags when they were allegedly confronted by a lone offender wearing a balaclava and armed with a handgun and a cardboard box.
Police allege the 54-year-old guard was shot in the lower leg, with the bullet hitting his right ankle before deflecting into the shoe of the second Armaguard employee.
A 40-year-old Doveton man who tried to help during the robbery was also shot in the leg and suffered life-altering injuries. All three men were taken to hospital for treatment for gunshot wounds.
Sullivan has been charged with armed robbery, intentionally causing serious injury, two counts of intentionally causing injury, reckless conduct endangering life, theft, common law assault, carrying a pistol without a licence, and dealing with property suspected to be the proceeds of crime.
In court on Thursday, Sullivan spoke only to confirm his identity before agreeing to be extradited to Victoria. The magistrate ordered that he be returned to Melbourne, where he is due to face court on June 1.
The hearing lasted less than five minutes.
Anyone with information about the incident is being urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
