A hero barber who helped restrain the man accused of deliberately running down independent MP Helen Haines has revealed how he disarmed the alleged attacker and tried to calm him as terrified witnesses rushed to help.
Ricky Jefferies was working at his barbershop in Wangaratta, in Victoria’s northeast, when Dr Haines was struck by a Toyota LandCruiser outside her electorate office about 3.35pm on Monday.
The 65-year-old MP suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to Melbourne, where she underwent surgery.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Mr Jefferies revealed he initially did not realise the seriousness of the situation before stepping in to help restrain the driver.
“Once it became relevant, I just did what I could and what others were already trying to do,” he said.
Mr Jefferies said he noticed the alleged attacker had a knife in his pocket and decided to remove it.
“He didn’t pull it out,” he said.
“I just wasn’t comfortable with his movements and so I basically just took it out of his pocket and threw it away.”
After helping pull the man from the vehicle, Mr Jefferies stood over him and attempted to keep him calm until police arrived.
“I just leaned over him, and once it was, you know, once he was on the ground and he was no longer a threat, I just stood with him and told him that he can’t leave… ‘everything is all right, mate,’” he said.
“And obviously, you know, for everyone else involved, that’s not true, but in order to get him to calm down, it was the right thing to do and to show any kindness.”
Speaking to Sunrise on Tuesday morning, Mr Jefferies’ sister, Tanya, said she was proud of her brother’s sefless act.
“He very much doesn’t feel like he’s a hero,” she said.
“I just feel this overwhelming feeling of pride I’ve never felt. I’m just so proud of him.”
‘A man sat down and refused to leave’
Despite being hailed a hero by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Mr Jefferies insisted other members of the public deserved just as much recognition for their extraordinary bravery.
He revealed one bystander had sat directly in front of the moving vehicle in an attempt to stop the driver.
“They did so much more than me… the other people here, they deserve the credit,” he said.
“I mean, the driver was still in the car, the car was still on, and they sat in front of a rolling car. That’s not an exaggeration.
“There is a man that sat in front of a moving car to help someone. That really happened. Like, that’s not just a soundbite, a man sat down and refused to leave.
“I had no choice but to take him out of the car, because… it was the right and safest thing to do.”
‘My wife will be disappointed if I’m injured’
Asked what was going through his mind as he confronted the alleged attacker, Mr Jefferies gave a remarkably understated response.
“My wife will be disappointed if I’m injured,” he said.
“I was just trying to not get injured and not let anyone else be injured after the initial incident.”
The barber said the close-knit nature of Wangaratta made the incident particularly difficult to process.
“It’s such a small town, it’s hard to stand up here and talk,” he said.
“Because you know everyone here. The first people on the scene were people I know. The first police, I cut their hair, the first firies, I cut their hair, first ambos, I cut their hair.”
Mr Albanese praised the barber’s courage, describing his intervention as a rare moment of light amid a devastating incident.
“At this dark and terrible time, a element of light is the fact that a good Samaritan, someone rushed to Helen’s defence in Wangaratta, put themselves potentially at risk by doing so, and that person is a hero today,” he told Nine
“He deserves an enormous praise and thanks for his intervention, which could have prevented even more further infliction of damage which was aimed at Helen.”
Despite the extraordinary events, Mr Jefferies returned to work on Tuesday morning.
Wangaratta Mayor Irene Grant said she had personally thanked him for his bravery, but he simply shrugged off the praise.
“He just shrugged his shoulders and said, well, he just did what he had to do,” she told Nine.
A 43-year-old man, identified by The Nightly as Brendan Nugent, was arrested following the incident.
Counter-terrorism authorities are assisting with the investigation.
Dr Haines remains in a critical condition with life-threatening injuries.