Former Married At First Sight groom Timothy Smith performed a dramatic citizen’s arrest at 3pm on Friday in Melbourne when he chased down a teenage boy allegedly armed with a machete.
Police arrested a 14-year-old boy, who allegedly attempted to carjack a woman with another teenager, after Smith, 52, managed to detain the youth when he ran, reported Seven News.
In shocking footage captured by CCTV, the reality TV star, 52, could be seen sprinting after the two youths in Prahran after he heard the commotion while standing outside his campaign office on Chatham St.
Smith was standing at the intersection of Chatham St and Chapel St when two black-clad individuals raced past him.
The TV star-turned-budding politician, who is running as an independent for an upcoming seat in the federal election, immediately took off after the pair.
Further clips saw Smith keeping the alleged machete-wielder detained until police arrived to arrest him.
Smith later claimed on Jacqui Felgate’s 3AW Drive that he was first alerted something was wrong when he heard nearby screams while talking with his campaign manager.
‘I was out the front talking to my campaign manager and then we heard some screams. Some guys came by, one with a machete, and I gave chase to the one with a machete,’ he alleged.
‘They were waving them around. As I was running behind him he kept yelling, “I’m gonna cut you,” but he wasn’t stopping.’
Smith went on to claim the teenager burst into tears when he realised he was about to be arrested, but the reality star wasn’t moved by the display.
‘He was young. When they have a knife in their hand they’re very confident. But once that knife’s gone the tears start. But how’s that lady gonna feel? That’s traumatic. His tears don’t do anything for me,’ Smith said.
Smith added he felt no fear for his own life when chasing after the boy, saying he was far more ‘annoyed’ with the wave of youth crime which has struck Melbourne in recent months.
Police are now questioning the 14-year-old boy while his alleged accomplice fled the scene.
They have urged anyone who witnessed the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.
It comes after Smith vowed to clean up Melbourne’s streets as he runs for office in his home suburb of Prahran, with a view to improve life for citizens in the area.
Smith, who appeared on MAFS last year, is running as an independent and says he is not aligned with any political party.
‘I’ve been a Prahran local renter before recently buying my own apartment, so I understand firsthand the challenges of rising crime, unaffordable housing, and high rents—and I’m ready to tackle these issues head-on,’ he wrote in his mission statement on his website.
‘I’m not bound by any political party, which means I can focus on what truly matters to you—practical solutions that benefit all Melburnians.
‘I’m determined to create a Melbourne that works for everyone, where the cost of living is manageable, housing is affordable, and crime is under control. Together, we will make this happen.’
Smith’s focus is tackling the ‘escalating cost of living, and rising crime rates, to the housing crisis’.
The former reality TV star has previously admitted to his own brush with the law, as he confessed to his drug-smuggling past during an appearance on Channel Nine’s A Current Affair last year.
He went on the news program shortly after MAFS wrapped and came clean about his criminal history in which he spent more than a year behind bars.
Smith also took to Instagram to speak out about the ‘bad decisions’ he made when he was younger, noting he takes full responsibility for them.
‘I’ve had a lot of people reach out and ask me about my ACA interview. I did it, I own it, and I endeavour to be open about my past,’ he captioned the post, adding the hashtag #baddecisions, among others.
The season 11 star’s criminal history was unveiled by A Current Affair in April last year, with viewers shocked to learn the real estate tycoon spent more than a year behind bars.
Smith had been caught using a helicopter to smuggle large amounts of marijuana from Canada into the United States close to two decades ago.
During his prison sentence, tragedy struck twice when both his mother and younger brother died.
Instead of turning their backs on the reality star, fans flocked to social media to express empathy, declaring the groom has ‘done his time’ and is ‘still a good bloke’ regardless of his past.
During his appearance on A Current Affair, an emotional Smith expressed his regrets after being caught smuggling marijuana.
‘I was a helicopter pilot in North America who did something really stupid,’ he said, revealing he was paid to take flying lessons for the purpose of trafficking.’
‘It’s something I’m not proud of. I’m definitely not proud of it, but it doesn’t define who I am and I’m not the same person I was 17 years ago,’ he continued.
Smith said he would make $100,000 per trip across the border flying a helicopter full of marijuana.
‘I would take off from a little unmanned airport and I would fly up a valley into a creek where I would meet a four-wheel-drive… within a minute, the helicopter would be loaded,’ he said.
Smith was caught by police in Los Angeles when he returned to the country after visiting his sick mother in Australia.
The groom was sentenced for ‘trafficking marijuana over an international border’ in 2006, but Smith said he spent another ‘four or six months in immigration’ detention.
Despite spending his days locked up with hardened criminals, the real punishment came when both his mother and younger brother Dave died while he was in prison.
An emotional Smith said Dave called him during the start of his sentence and said: ‘”Don’t let anyone mess with you,” and, “I’ll be there when you get out,” but he wasn’t.’
Tragedy struck mid-way through Smith’s sentence when his mother died of cancer and his brother took his own life just a few months later.
Smith said he did not tell producers on MAFS he was a convicted drug smuggler when applying for the show.
The groom was paired up with fan favourite Lucinda Light during his stint on MAFS last year, but they broke up following a disastrous home stay visit in Melbourne.
The pair called time on their marriage at the following commitment ceremony, with Smith acknowledging his lacklustre effort to the experts.
‘I didn’t go into homestay with the best attitude,’ he said at the time, before admitting he found deep emotional exploration ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘overwhelming’.
Despite their romance not working out, Smith and Light have maintained a close friendship ever since the cameras stopped rolling.
The former on-screen couple have been seen on nights out together, while Light recently gushed over how ‘glad’ she is to have Smith as a ‘dear friend’.