St Mark’s Anglican Community School locked down after man crashed into wall before allegedly grabbing axe

Teachers on lunchtime duty were forced to lock gates and move students away when a man crashed into a Perth school’s wall before allegedly threatening good Samaritans with an axe. A white Ford Falcon station wagon crashed into a wall at St Mark’s Anglican Community School on Whitfords Avenue in Hillarys just after 1.30pm on Friday. Police allege the 39-year-old male driver exited the car, and when good Samaritans stopped to assist, he allegedly threatened them with an axe. People at the scene managed to restrain the man until police arrived a short time later. In an email to parents and caregivers, St Mark’s Anglican Community School principal Steven Davies said staff acted quickly to safeguard the students. “This afternoon, a vehicle travelling westbound on Whitfords Avenue veered off the road, through the sidewalk and into the school boundary wall at the end of lunchtime,” he wrote. “The staff on duty noticed that the driver exited the vehicle. All students were cleared from the area, the gates to the school campus were locked, and police were called immediately. “Members of the public stopped at the scene and assisted. The police arrived promptly and took the driver away from the scene.” He said, “At no point were our students at risk due to the prompt actions of our on-duty staff.” No one was injured during the incident. The driver has since been charged with exceeding 0.8g alcohol per 100ml of blood, being armed in a way that may cause fear, reckless driving, and no authority to drive. Police impounded the car. The man is due to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court on Saturday.