Statement regarding Woden incident

Last Tuesday afternoon (11 November 2025) ACT Policing officers responded to reports of an active armed offender in possession of a knife at Westfield in Woden, who had allegedly committed an aggravated robbery at a store located inside the shopping centre.

At the same time police had received reports there had been multiple attempted car jackings in the area with a young person allegedly threatening members of the public with a knife. One of the occupants of a vehicle received lacerations to their hand during the attempted carjacking.

During the response, information was received by police that a young person matching the physical and clothing description of the alleged offender, was on a bus. That bus was stopped, and a young person was detained for a short period until it was confirmed he was not the alleged offender.

We acknowledge this would have been a very distressing incident for the young person and the other passengers on the bus and we apologise for this.

Given police were responding to multiple eyewitness reports of an active armed offender in a heavily populated part of Canberra, officers acted with the immediate aim of preventing a worst-case scenario from occurring - further harm to members of the public.

The alleged offender was arrested in Ainslie later that evening and faced court the next day. ACT Policing’s media release on the incident can be found here https://police.act.gov.au/news/2025-media-releases/november/teen-charged-following-woden-incidents

ACT Policing has since met with the young person and members of his family as well as members of ACT’s First Nations community to discuss the incident and the police response.

We acknowledge these have been difficult discussions and ACT Policing remains committed to continued engagement and two-way dialogue with the family and wider First Nations community.

A complaint from the community has been received in relation to ACT Policing’s actions, and that will be managed and reviewed through AFP’s Professional Standards Command, including in consultation with the ACT Ombudsman.