An “idiot” driver caused a spectacle at Altona beach on Sunday night after illegally driving his four-wheel-drive on to the sand and promptly becoming bogged.
A crowd of about 200 beachgoers watched in astonishment – many of them ridiculing the driver – as his Toyota LandCruiser became stuck opposite Ransom Reserve about 6.30pm.
Sergeant Gareth Rowe, of Altona police, said the driver, a 27-year-old Kings Park man, had wanted to test his car.
“In an act of idiocy, someone has driven out on to the beach to test the capabilities of both the vehicle and their driving skills, and has come up well and truly short,” he said.
“They’ve driven out and become bogged almost immediately.
“I think the best way to describe it is that the driver had an ambition and ability problem. We were there for over an hour and a half and a tow truck driver was required to perform quite a delicate operation to remove it.”
The man, who was carrying three passengers and had accessed the beach through a gap in the seawall from Ransom Reserve, will receive an infringement notice from Hobsons Bay council for driving on the reserve and significantly interfering with the quiet enjoyment of others.
“No one was able to use the beach while he was out there,” Sergeant Rowe said.
“The operation to remove it involved a tow truck using high-tensile wires, so police were required to be there to make sure no one was injured.”
