Alice Springs gripped by violence after arrest of alleged killer

Note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that this story includes the image of an Indigenous person who has died. 

Police clashed with a large crowd outside Alice Springs Hospital after the arrest of Jefferson Lewis over the death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby.

Tear gas was deployed, projectiles were thrown, and several police vehicles were damaged as tensions escalated in the Northern Territory town.

Key Points

NT Police confirmed Lewis had been arrested later on Thursday night in relation to the death of the five-year-old.

He was taken to Alice Springs Hospital, where a large crowd of Aboriginal people gathered and called for traditional “payback” while accusing police of protecting him.

Witnesses described angry scenes as the crowd shouted at officers. The situation turned violent with rocks, bottles and other projectiles hurled at police and their vehicles. Police were seen using pepper spray and holding positions in front of the hospital, before deploying tear gas and using rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

Multiple police vehicles were targeted. An empty police car parked on Gap Road was smashed with street signs and sticks, and people attempted to set it alight. Riot police charged towards the vehicle, pulling one person to the ground and using pepper spray to push the crowd back.

• Rocks, bottles and large sticks thrown at a police barricade
• Pepper spray, tear gas and rubber bullets deployed by police
• Police cars damaged; attempted arson on a vehicle on Gap Road
• A camera man from Channel 10 sprayed directly in the face

Dozens were involved in the confrontation. Police officers with riot shields maintained lines outside the facility as the unrest unfolded. Authorities have not released any details about arrests in connection with the violence.

Search and arrest timeline

Kumanjayi Little Baby vanished from a house at Old Timers town camp on Saturday night. One of the Northern Territory’s biggest ever searches followed to find the missing girl. The body of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby was found just before midday on Thursday, located south of Alice Springs by a police search party.

Hours after her death was announced, Mr Lewis, 47, was reportedly spotted wandering outside Charles Creek town camp near the centre of Alice Springs. It is understood he was badly beaten by a group of people in the area after being recognised as the man police were hunting over the alleged abduction and murder of Kumanjayi Little Baby.

NT Police said Mr Lewis was arrested later on Thursday night. A video of the arrest seen and verified by the ABC showed Mr Lewis lying unresponsive face down in the dirt as officers wearing gloves put handcuffs on him. He was then transported to Alice Springs Hospital. Mr Lewis is now in hospital, although the extent of his injuries are unknown.

Community response

At the hospital, emotions ran high as many in the crowd demanded that traditional “payback” be carried out. Some chanted that Mr Lewis should be killed for his alleged attack. The crowd accused police of shielding him from Aboriginal law in Central Australia.

Harley Myers, an Arrernte man from Alice Springs, said people had gathered because they were hurt. He said there was a widespread feeling that police were protecting the man taken into custody and that officers had used rubber bullets on the crowd. He added that the community felt the system was not standing up for them or allowing traditional punishment to occur, and that the death of a five-year-old affected all families because it could happen to any child.

Police have not issued information about any arrests arising from the hospital unrest. NT Police said they would be providing an update on Friday on Mr Lewis’s arrest. As of Thursday night, no further details about his condition or possible charges had been released.

Earlier, authorities noted that “payback” is a term for traditional punishment under Aboriginal law in Central Australia. During the hospital confrontation, many people held their phones to film as bins and sticks were thrown at a police barricade before officers responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

The escalation outside the hospital followed reports that Mr Lewis was badly beaten after being recognised near Charles Creek town camp. A video verified by the ABC showed him lying unresponsive as police officers placed him under arrest. He was subsequently admitted to hospital, where the crowd later massed and where police and riot units took positions at the entrance.

Kumanjayi Little Baby vanished from a house at Old Timers town camp on Saturday night.

As the night progressed, an attempt to set a police vehicle on fire was disrupted by riot police, who used pepper spray and force to push people back from the scene on Gap Road. The tense standoff continued as additional officers arrived to secure the area.

The incident came only hours after the grim discovery of Kumanjayi Little Baby’s body south of Alice Springs. The extensive search that began Saturday night after she vanished from Old Timers town camp had mobilised significant police resources. The confirmation of her death intensified public grief and anger, culminating in the mass gathering at the hospital following the announcement of Mr Lewis’s arrest.

Channel 10 media personnel were also affected during the unrest, with a camera man seen being sprayed directly in the face. Police vehicles sustained damage from thrown objects and attempts at arson, and at least one person was taken to the ground as officers moved to restore order.

Authorities said further information would be provided on Friday regarding Mr Lewis’s arrest. They have not released details about any injuries within the crowd or among officers during the confrontation, nor about any arrests linked to the riot outside the hospital. Mr Lewis remains in hospital and the extent of his injuries is unknown.