Police in Perth thought they had a potentially tragic incident on their hands when they were called to a house after reports of a toddler screaming and a man shouting death threats.
Multiple police units arrived at a property on Wednesday morning after neighbours heard a child's piercing screams and a man repeatedly yelling, "Why don't you die!?"
Fearing the worst, officers "responded lights and sirens" to the incident, only to find a man had simply been trying to kill a spider.
Taking to Twitter, Wanneroo Police posted the original incident report with the caption: "Never a dull moment for Po-lice!"
"The toddler inside was screaming but the caller didn't hear the female who lives there saying anything," the report stated.
"Caller doesn't know them, but has seen them a few times when walking."
Upon arrival, an embarrassed man told the police he was terrified of spiders and had been trying to kill one that had found its way into the house.
"No injuries sighted (except to spider), no further police involvement required," the police report concluded.
It's not clear what species the spider was. There has reportedly been only one death from a spider bite in Australia in the last 40 years.
7 News / Newshub.
