Police were called by neighbours when they thought a man was trying to kill his female partner. It turned out that the man lived alone, and he just really hated spiders.

The incident took place in the wee hours of Nov. 21, though the story is just gaining traction on social media. According to the Harbourside Local Area Command, the police received numerous calls from the neighbours of an unnamed man who was thought to be in a violent argument with his wife. The neighbours at a Wollstonecraft apartment block in the northern suburb heard a man yelling and a woman screaming hysterically and furniture were being tossed around.

“I’m going to kill you, you’re dead! Die! Die!” the neighbours heard from the place.

When the police arrived at the man’s apartment, they found out that the man lived alone, and he was not arguing with another person. Instead, the man was only trying to kill a spider and both the voices the neighbours heard were his.

Sydney police said that the man looked embarrassed when they investigated the matter. The local area command’s Facebook page described the entire incident including the conversation between police and the man.

Police told the man that the neighbours heard a woman screaming and the man threatening to kill her. “Come on mate, what have you done to her?” the officer interrogated.

The man sheepishly replied that it was “a really big” spider that he was trying to kill. The officers then asked him about a woman’s scream that the neighbours heard. That was him, he replied. He added that he “really, really hate spiders.”

Police found the man chased the spider with a can of insect spray in his hand in the apartment. After a long pause and some laughter, the police looked inside the unit to make sure there was really no injured party apart from the spider.

Commenters on the NSW Police Force’s spider story mostly said they would probably have done the same thing, knowing some of Australia’s spiders are deadly and gigantic.

“Haha I can almost relate to the incy-wincy-spidey one although my man of the house doesn't squeal at it. Just jumps and turns pale!” Facebook commenter Fleur Cheri wrote, to which the police replied, “Well he is a better man than me, I have been known to let the odd girly squeal out when it comes to the 8 legged satan.”

“Can relate to spider issue..i had a spider in my car it disappeared...sold the car..true story,” Christopher Noy wrote.

“Given the rates of Domestic violence in our country, I am really glad the neighbors called you. And honestly Sydney has funnel webs. As a QLDer if I was in Sydney I'd react the same.” another commenter added.

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