A Victorian man has been arrested after trying to travel to the ACT. Photo: NSW Police.
A Victorian man, attempting to drive to Canberra, has allegedly led police on a 200 km high-speed pursuit.
The 51-year-old Warrnambool man said he did not have a permit to travel through NSW but wanted to drive to Canberra.
Officers from Operation Border Closure were conducting permit checks at a checkpoint on the Hume Highway at South Albury when they stopped a Mazda MX5 at about 11:40 am on Monday (24 August).
Checks revealed the man had previously made unsuccessful attempts to cross the border without a permit, so police refused his entry and he was directed to return to Victoria with a police escort.
While officers from Traffic and Highway Patrol Command were escorting the vehicle to an off-ramp, it’s alleged the vehicle took off from police at speed onto the Hume Highway on-ramp.
Another police officer was conducting speed enforcement duties nearby and allegedly detected the vehicle’s speed at 172km/h in the 110km/h zone.
A police pursuit was initiated and road spikes were deployed a short time later, which successfully deflated one tyre, however the man continued to drive at speed with one wheel on its rims.
Police pursued the vehicle for about 200 km until the vehicle ran out of fuel and stopped near Jugiong.
The man was subsequently arrested and taken to Gundagai Police Station, where he was charged with driving recklessly/furiously or speeding in a manner dangerous to other motorists. He was also charged with not stopping during a police pursuit, exceeding the speed limit by more than 45km/h, and not complying with a direction regarding COVID-19 restrictions.
The man was refused bail to appear at Gundagai Local Court today (25 August).
Police continue to appeal to the community to report suspected breaches of any ministerial direction or behaviour which may impact on the health and safety of the community.
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