Behold, a quintessential piece of Australian history in action.

An arrest that took place in 1991 just outside a Brisbane restaurant in Chinatown has earned a spot among the revered Sounds of Australia. Nearly two decades after the event, the footage soared to internet fame, becoming one of the earliest viral video memes globally.

On August 11 of that year, journalists received a tip-off regarding a significant police arrest set to occur at the China Sea restaurant in Fortitude Valley.

The original video found its way to YouTube, courtesy of Russell Furman, a coordinator and tape operator at Nine, who stumbled upon the tapes in 2009. This was during the early days of the video-sharing platform.

In 2013, the clip gained massive traction when US content creator Ray William Johnson featured it on the same platform, propelling it to be watched by millions worldwide.

The individual involved, Karlson, who passed away in 2024, re-emerged in the public eye, partaking in numerous interviews where he confessed to being unsure of what sparked his infamous outburst.

Now, the original Seven news broadcast has been named one of nine Sounds of Australia for 2026 by the National Film and Sound Archive.

Others included Scar by Missy Higgins, Rosie Batty’s Australian of the Year acceptance speech, the Reading Writing Hotline jingle, and the sound of a PB/5 pedestrian crossing button.

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