Australian man destroys family's home with stolen bulldozer

TERALBA, Australia (WLS) -- Australian police say a man stole a bulldozer and used it to attack a family he had been ordered to stay away from in a town near Newcastle in New South Wales.

Several people were forced to run for their lives after the 48-year-old man allegedly used the bulldozer to crush four cars and destroy their home.

Australia's 9news reported that the home's owner, Deborah Kerr, her two daughters, aged 15 and 20, and her nephew were all home at the time. They escaped unhurt just minutes before it was destroyed.

"We just run out the front door, screaming as we're running out the front," Kerr said. "Nick, my neighbor next door, came running over and he's screaming at us at the gate to 'get out quickly, it's about to bulldoze the house down'. We then felt the house lifting as we got to the front steps."

New South Wales State Police inspector David Matthews told reporters the rampage ended when police officers smashed into the bulldozer cabin and used pepper spray to subdue the driver.

"[The police officer] couldn't get into the bulldozer because the doors were secured," Matthews said, "so he smashed the window of the bulldozer and delivered an entire can of OC spray into the cabin, which incapacitated the driver."

The man is expected to be charged with stealing the bulldozer from a nearby plant and using it to destroy the house.