The distressing details of ‘sovereign citizen’ Dezi Freeman’s fatal encounter with police have been unveiled, shedding light on the turmoil of the deadly confrontation.
The Daily Mail has accessed the gripping footage of the 27-minute ordeal where Freeman, aged 56, holed up inside his bus with his wife Mali and their toddler son.
On August 26, at the Freeman property in Porepunkah, located 300 kilometers from Melbourne, ten officers arrived to enforce a search warrant tied to past accusations that Freeman had sexually assaulted a minor.
What followed was a fraught confrontation that was captured from multiple angles on mobile phones and a police body camera.
In the footage, Freeman emphatically refused to open the bus door, his voice quivering with anger as officers, some in casual attire, others in uniform, attempted to communicate with him.
‘We have got a search warrant right here,’ one officer was heard saying.
‘Come out and have a look at it.
‘Come out and talk to us Dez, we are not going away.’
Victoria Police personnel are visible in the improvised kitchen connected to Freeman’s bus, as they endeavor to deliver a warrant associated with accusations of past sexual assault on a minor.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, dressed in a red and black flannel shirt, is seen at the forefront as they request Freeman to unlock the bus door.
Police officers outside the makeshift shelter
From inside, Ms Freeman could be heard asking the officers not to enter the bus.
‘Can you please not barge in?’ she said.
‘We have a search warrant,’ a second officer responded.
‘I have a kid, please,’ Ms Freeman begged, her voice shaking.
‘Leave us alone, leave us alone,’ Freeman shouted.
What followed was an extended back-and-forth between Freeman and several officers.
Freeman demanded to see the warrant, claimed he had autism and post-traumatic stress disorder, and insisted a disability liaison officer be present.
Daily Mail understands Freeman has never been formally diagnosed with either condition.
A police officer is seen using a crowbar to try and open the bus door as officers watch on
Detective Thompson is seen at the steps of the bus, moments before entering it and being gunned down
Freeman named various other police officers he wanted to attend as witnesses, and when the warrant was held up against the bus window, he snapped that it was ‘not valid’.
‘What is the search warrant for?’ he demanded.
Remaining calm, an officer pulled against the bus door with a crowbar.
‘We are just trying to do our job, Dez. Come out and talk to us and we won’t have to break in,’ he said.
When told the warrant was related to a sexual assault allegation involving a young girl, Freeman erupted.
‘Oh for f*** sake, what bulls***,’ he screamed, branding the police ‘psychopaths’ and accusing them of ‘terrorising him’.
‘You have been targeting me for seven years,’ Freeman claimed before demanding to speak to the senior sergeant and commanding officer.
He accused the police of ‘trespassing’ and committing ‘countless crimes.’
Dezi and Mali Freeman. Ms Freeman was heard in the footage crying out, ‘OK we are coming out,’ but it was too late, and she was told by police to ‘move back and stop hindering us’
The Freeman compound where the shootings took place
As the bus door was slowly jarred open, he shouted: ‘Tell your goons to stop breaking the door. This is domestic terrorism. Why did you join the police? So you can terrorise families?’
At this point, four or five officers moved in and out of the makeshift kitchen attached to the bus. The other officers could be seen hanging back a few metres away.
‘Are you going to open the door, Dez?’ they asked again.
Freeman’s emotions became increasingly fraught.
His voice rose and cracked, and he singled out an officer, blaming her for his long-running grievances with the force.
Small hands, either Mali’s or the child’s, appeared through the gap in the door as the officers continued to try and pry it open.
Ms Freeman then told the officers she was coming out, but remained inside. It’s unclear if she was able to open the door.
Freeman continued to rail against the sexual assault allegation, but police said they didn’t want to discuss the matter in front of his wife and child.
Detective Neal Thompson, 59, was shot dead in the ambush
Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 34, was also killed in the ambush
He called them criminals, sneering that everything they were doing was ‘unlawful’.
‘What are you doing?’ he yelled.
‘Did you join the police force to be Nazi f****** thugs?
‘You are just going to kill me.’
‘We are not going to kill you,’ an officer replied calmly.
‘You can shoot me in the back and get away with it,’ Freeman responded.
During the altercation, various officers moved in and out of the makeshift kitchen.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, could be seen at the front of the officers.
About 450 police officers and the Australian Defence Force continue to hunt Dezi Freeman as the search enter its third week
Dressed in a red and black flannelette shirt and jeans, he was using his experience to try and defuse the situation.
For most of the time, Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 34, stood further back. It was only during the last few minutes he moved just to the left of the bus door.
Freeman was only visible from time to time through the bus door window.
Ms Freeman was seemingly sitting on the steps of the bus directly behind the door and their toddler was with her.
An officer told Freeman he was traumatising his child, as his superior ordered another officer to stop using the crowbar.
She once again took the warrant to the door, urging Freeman to read it and ‘just take a breath.’
But Freeman only spiralled further.
He ranted about being a victim, called the country ‘Communist Australia’, and insisted the warrant was fake.
Detective Thompson managed to force open a window.
Ms Freeman cried, ‘OK we are coming out,’ but it was too late, and she was told to ‘move back and stop hindering us.’
Detective Thompson grabbed the roof of the bus and hauled himself feet first inside the vehicle.
Within seconds, two gunshots rang out and officers scattered in terror.
Detective Thompson and Senior Constable de Waart-Hottart were both shot dead at point-blank range. The video then ended.
A third officer would later be confirmed as seriously injured, but it is unclear when that shooting took place.
Freeman took weapons from the deceased officers and fled into the rugged alpine bushland.
About 450 police officers and the Australian Defence Force continue to hunt for Freeman as the search enters its third week.
The Mail witnessed a major police operation in Porepunkah on Tuesday afternoon, however, it did not result in Freeman being apprehended.
On Saturday, Victoria Police announced a $1million reward for information leading to Freeman’s arrest.
