A reckless man has fired a skyrocket firework directly at an occupied apartment balcony.
The
man believed to be in his fifties set off the firework in Darwin's CBD,
on Friday July 1 on Territory Day, when it's legal to let off crackers
between 6pm and 11pm.
The
incident caught on footage by a bystander shows the cracker going
straight towards the building before it appears to hit the wall and
explode, reported NT news.
A man set off a skyrocket firework at an occupied balcony in Darwin on Friday July 1
Witness Shane Kennedy said the incident was not an accident but a deliberate act.
'We saw him across the road and he let one off that stopped short of the building,' Mr Kennedy said.
'He was standing in the middle of the road and then he just let the firework off and it hit two people standing on the balcony,'
Eight
men were admitted to the Royal Darwin Hospital with injuries from
Fireworks following Territory Day– two men needed surgeries.
A witness who recorded the incident said the man deliberately aimed the cracker at the building
Senior
Sergeant Garry Smith said despite the public being permitted to let of
fireworks any crackers aimed at a building is an offence.
'Specifically
aiming a firework at a building is an offence that could attract an
infringement up to $1,232 plus a victim's levy. It is also dangerous,
with the potential to cause a structure fire and could easily injure
occupants of the premises,' he said.
Territorians
can legally buy and let off fireworks during Territory Day celebrations
which are held in honour of the NT attaining self-government in 1978.
Territorians can legally buy and let off fireworks during Territory Day but any cracker aimed at a building is an offence