A roadhouse employee who helped federal MP Helen Haines after she was hit several times by a Toyota LandCruiser has described how the alleged driver appeared more concerned about his personal belongings after the incident.
asserted
driver → help → incident
Brendan Nugent, 43, was arrested on Monday afternoon after Haines was struck by the car outside her electorate office in Wangaratta in north-east Victoria.
asserted
Haines → arrest → Victoria
The independent MP for Indi underwent emergency surgery in Melbourne overnight.
asserted
MP → undergo → Melbourne
She remains in a critical condition and has lost a leg.
asserted
She → remain → leg
Nugent, from Tarrawingee, near Wangaratta, was arrested at the scene and taken into custody.
asserted
Nugent → arrest → custody
No charges had been laid as of Tuesday morning as counterterrorism authorities continued to investigate the incident.
asserted
authorities → lay → incident
Cody Lepoidevin, who works at High Country Roadhouse, was one of the first people on the scene to help Haines before detaining Nugent until police arrived.
asserted
police → work → Nugent
'They (locals) had already gotten him out of his car.
asserted
They → get → car
We had him sat down against the wall.
asserted
him → have → wall
He wasn't leaving,' he said.
asserted
he → leave → ?
'I just helped everyone else with Helen as best as I could.'
uncertain
I → help → Helen
Helen Haines (pictured) was hit several times by a Toyota LandCruiser outside her electorate office in Wangaratta in north-east Victoria on Monday afternoon
Brendan Nugent was arrested at the scene.
asserted
Nugent → picture → scene
No charges had been laid as of Tuesday morning
asserted
charges → lay → morning
Cody Lepoidevin (pictured) said Nugent was concerned about his personal belongings while locals restrained him
Mr Lepoidevin said he and local barber Ricky Jefferies had rushed to help when they heard the crash.
'
asserted
they → picture → crash
When we knew it was serious (we) called the ambulance and everything else and that's when everyone pretty much went into panic with good intent,' he told News24.
asserted
he → know → News24
'I was able to run over after calling the ambulance, confirming where we were and everything else.
asserted
we → run → ambulance
'We needed poles to unpin Helen from her boot and everything else and I was able to help provide those from our store.
asserted
I → need → store
It's just little things like that to help a group effort, you know, become effective.'
asserted
you → help → that
Mr Lepoidevin described Nugent as 'very erratic and irrational in his thoughts', adding that he was 'more concerned about, from what I recall, his passenger door, his phone and his wallet'.
asserted
I → describe → door
He added that barber Ricky Jefferies pinned Nugent to the ground after police alleged he drove into Haines.
asserted
he → add → Haines
Mr Lepoidevin also said that between 10 and 15 minutes after the incident, a woman claiming to be Nugent's mother walked into his workplace.
asserted
woman → say → workplace
Mr Lepoidevin said he and local barber Ricky Jefferies (pictured) had rushed to help Haines when they heard the crash
Haines, a mother-of-three and grandmother, suffered 'severe' lower-body injuries
He said she told customers she had been contacted by police and that was why she came into the store discussing the incident.
Police and anti-terror authorities are expected to examine Nugent's social media activity as part of their inquiries.
A social media account appearing to bear his name includes posts about Israel's war in Gaza, as well as older posts about environmental issues such as logging.
asserted
account → say → logging
Replying to Penny Wong on X after she shared a statement from the prime minister, the account called the two politicians a 'couple of US lap dogs'.
asserted
account → reply → dogs
Maybe if you had warned Israel about its attacks the world wouldn't be where it is right now,' the account wrote.
asserted
account → warn → attacks
Nugent had engaged with Haines on X on several occasions, the last being six years ago.
asserted
last → engage → occasions
AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett confirmed on Tuesday that the attack had been an 'isolated incident and there are no known threats connected to this matter'.
asserted
attack → confirm → matter
She said federal and state police are working to confirm 'potential charges'.
asserted
police → say → charges
Police and anti-terror authorities are expected to examine Nugent's social media activity as part of their inquiries.
asserted
Police → expect → inquiries
Haines was retrieving belongings from the boot of her car, parked on Murphy Street outside her electorate office, when she was repeatedly struck by the LandCruiser
'
asserted
she → retrieve → LandCruiser
[It] may include state and Commonwealth offences, such as the offence of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment,' she added.
uncertain
she → include → imprisonment
Haines was retrieving belongings from the boot of her car, parked on Murphy Street, when she was repeatedly struck.
asserted
she → retrieve → Street
Witnesses said the driver made a U-turn and drove the vehicle into her.
asserted
driver → say → her
'What witnesses have described is the driver doing a U-turn to get into the car park and to ram Helen against a vehicle, then to reverse and do it a second time,' Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told ABC Radio on Tuesday.
asserted
Burke → describe → Tuesday
The mother-of-three and grandmother was pinned by the four-wheel-drive and suffered 'severe' lower-body injuries.
asserted
mother → pin → injuries
She was initially treated at a local hospital before being airlifted about 250km to Melbourne.
asserted
She → treat → Melbourne
The Aporia
