I was the mysterious masked figure arrested by cops hunting Dezi Freeman. This is why they stormed my house – and the reason my nickname is ‘666Lucifer’
The mysterious hooded man at the centre of a dramatic raid in the hunt for alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman is a gun-lover who claims that the police have been watching him for weeks.
Motorbike mechanic and restorer Chris Stanimirovich was briefly detained when heavily-armed officers – many dressed in camouflage – stormed his home on Standish Street in the alpine town of Myrtleford, Victoria, on Friday.
But after the massive police operation on the property Mr Stanimirovich shares with his partner and children, he was released without charge.
In an interview, Mr Stanimirovich told the Daily Mail he was not a sovereign citizen and claimed he had never met Freeman, 56 – but accused the police of trying to draw links between the pair that weren’t there.
‘In all honesty, I believe they wanted me to be another Dezi or flare up to be used in the justification of them being here,’ he said.
‘I’m not sure if they are trying to find some affiliation between him and myself, but I’ve never even been in the same room as the man, that I know of.
‘I’ve never messaged him or met him before. The situation I’ve been placed into – it’s honestly beyond wild.’
The mystery man seen hooded and cuffed during a massive police raid in the hunt for alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman is gun-lover Chris Stanimirovich
He added: ‘I’m not sure what’s going on, but it feels they are trying to prey on me, hoping I’d do something.
‘I have no evidence but too much has been peculiar and still to this moment I have not done anything wrong or ever associated with him.
‘Yet I have been watched and asked about it for weeks before the raid and now it’s jumped a level.’
Freeman has been on the run since last month after allegedly gunning down two officers in a deadly ambush at his home in nearby Porepunkah.
Mr Stanimirovich had voiced his sympathy for the dead officers in social media posts after the attack, with no indication he ever knew Freeman at any time.
‘Absolutely heartbreaking for all involved and I feel for them deeply,’ Mr Stanimirovich wrote on Facebook in response to a media report about the fatal incident.
‘But as a local watching and hearing it unfold, so far the information being given and the circumstances are simply not adding up.’
He also expressed concerns for community safety, with Freeman still at large and allegedly armed and dangerous.
‘Just wish they would give some info onto the person [Freeman],’ he added.
‘Not knowing where he frequents, vehicle make, model and all those is relevant while they still can’t find him and he has already [allegedly] killed multiple people.
‘Story has been changed too many times, on why they were there and how it’s happened.’
But Mr Stanimirovich stressed he was just speculating in his posts and added: ‘I’m not saying I know anything or think anything specifically, but it most definitely does not add up.
‘And the way they have conducted the operation from the start does not seem right in my opinion. Far too many questions and a changing narrative.’
Motorbike mechanic and restorer Chris Stanimirovich was briefly detained when heavily-armed officers stormed his home on Standish Street in Myrtleford, Victoria, on Friday
Their clashing views on religion also make it seem unlikely the pair would be friends.
Mr Stanimirovich uses the name ‘666Lucifer95’ online – a reference to Satan that he said was a throwback to his teenage years when he was living rough.
Freeman has always been outspoken about his Christian religious beliefs and a regular attendee at his local church.
Freeman has been on the run since August 26, when ten officers arrived at his Porepunkah home to serve a warrant for alleged historic sexual assault on a minor.
During a video of the 27 minutes leading up to the deadly shootout, Freeman was heard invoking his religion as police attempted to enter the bus he shared with his wife and two children.
‘In Jesus’ name get out, all of you demon scum,’ he screamed at the officers. ‘Get out of here now in Jesus’ name…
‘I cut off all of your arrogance, all your violence, in Jesus’ name so leave now.’
Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson was shot after entering the bus via the window, with a second bullet striking Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart.
As the remaining officers ran for cover, Freeman fled the scene, vanishing into the dense alpine bush.
Stanimirovich voiced his sympathy for the fallen officers in social media posts after the incident
Dezi Freeman has been on the run since last month after allegedly gunning down two officers in a deadly ambush at his home in nearby Porepunkah
Close friends of Freeman maintain that over the years Freeman has openly criticised anyone who was even ‘remotely satanic’ in their beliefs.
‘There is no way Dez would turn to someone like this for help, he wouldn’t even have known him to begin with,’ the friend said.
‘He really only associated with Christians.’
Since announcing a $1million reward for information on Freeman, authorities have been deluged with more than 1,000 tips on the fugitive’s possible whereabouts.
Neighbours described chaotic scenes outside Mr Stanimirovich’s Myrtleford home as unmarked cars and an armoured vehicle blocked the street.
‘All the army people were on the road and they said that we couldn’t come down the street,’ one local said.
Since being questioned, Mr Stanimirovich has left a laughing emoji on news reports covering the raid on his home.
The hunt for Dezi Freeman – which has seen hundreds of police flown into the area – will enter its fifth week on Tuesday without a single sighting since the deadly ambush
‘I’ve been branded a sovereign citizen by multiple persons now too and that is certainly not the case at all in any way, shape or form.’
He said he had not been charged with any offence since a firearms incident six years ago, which placed him on a firearms prohibition order.
‘It’s done quite a bit of damage to my life since, and I have only found more trouble because of it,’ he admitted.
Mr Stanimirovich claimed that police returned in the middle of the night just hours after he had been detained and released without charge in the earlier raid.
‘I also had the police light up my house at 2.30am the morning after the raid and then sped off when I opened the door,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘Two police squad cars drove up and parked for five minutes and high-beamed my house. It caused me a panic.
‘I woke my partner and put her on the floor waiting for bullets or megaphones. I didn’t know what was happening and it was very targeted to my house.
‘We also couldn’t tell they were police cars until they sped away.’
During a video of the 27 minutes leading up to the deadly shootout, Dezi Freeman was heard invoking his religion as police attempted to enter the bus he shared with his family
He added: ‘With how they’ve made me look on the media, I’ve been concerned for my children, partner and home.
‘I am quite well nowadays but I have a history of mental health diagnosis and previous firearm charges.
‘I deal with the police regularly as a result, until the firearms prohibition order ends.
‘But the way I was treated and they carried everything out seemed to me and my partner that they wanted me to make a fuss or try to kick off.’
The hunt for Freeman – which has seen hundreds of police flown into the area – will enter its fifth week on Tuesday without a single sighting since the deadly ambush.
