A man aimed a revolver at the chest of a policeman and told him "I'll shoot you" when officers tried to arrest him at a busy Melbourne restaurant, a trial has heard.
Christopher Dean Binse, 45, allegedly pointed the gun at the officer then waved it at two of his colleagues at the La Porchetta restaurant in Niddrie.
The threat sent them scampering to the restaurant's front door, shouting at customers to flee as they went, Binse's Victorian Supreme Court trial heard.
Binse fled out the back door but was arrested three days later, on May 23, 2012.
He has pleaded not guilty to three counts of making a threat to kill.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Prosecutor Peter Chadwick SC said police were trying to question Binse over an unregistered bike parked outside the restaurant.
He said Binse spotted the men standing at his bike and tried to escape through a back exit.
The three officers entered the restaurant shouting "Police, stop", Mr Chadwick said.
When one officer placed his hand on the back of Binse's shoulder he swung around and aimed a gun squarely at his chest, Mr Chadwick told the jury.
Binse is accused of telling the officers: "F*** off or I'll shoot you."
But defence lawyer Saul Holt said Binse had a contract on his head at the time he was confronted by the three plain-clothes officers.
Without their uniforms, Binse did not realise they were police and feared they had come to kill him, Mr Holt said.
"He was at the time being hunted, there were people who wanted to kill him, that is why he had a gun," he said.
"He honestly believed what he did was necessary in defence of himself."
Binse, of Keilor East, admitted to pointing the gun at the men but denies threatening to kill them.
He has pleaded guilty to carrying a prohibited weapon and stealing a police radio one of the officers dropped as he fled.
The trial continues.
