New Kununurra Tuckerbox IGA owners ‘scared’ after attempted ram-raid with quad bike

The new owners of Kununurra’s Tuckerbox IGA, which was ram-raided on Monday, say they have been left scared and frustrated by the senseless act of vandalism — allegedly carried out by a group of youths using a buggy. Police say in the early hours of February 6, a group of up to seven youths attempted to break into the small business with a John Deere buggy. They caused thousands of dollars of damage to the front doors but ultimately failed to get inside the business. The incident came in just the second week of new ownership for the store after former owners Bevan and Bernice Spackman — who had run the shop for 34 years — sold up. New owner Jignesh Patel woke to a call from his manager at 4.30am notifying him of the ram-raid. “It’s horrible,” he said. “I’ve been very busy trying to sort out suppliers and talking to the franchisee about renovating the store and then this happens — it really scares me. “I got a phone call from my manager at about 4:30am saying we had been ram-raided, so I haven’t slept well. I’m talking to the landlord about putting up some sort of barriers so this doesn’t happen again.” Kununurra Police Sgt. Greg Dowding said after causing significant damage, the perpetrators fled, with a number of those involved still on the loose. “We arrested three people at around 4:30am, two were released after enquiries and one is still here,“ he said. “Earlier we charged one of them and now we’re just looking for the others. There were about six or seven on board.” According to police the individuals also tried ram-raiding the Kununurra Hotel but were unsuccessful due to obstructions blocking their path to the front doors. Despite the damage to its front doors, the Kununurra Tuckerbox IGA remains open for business.