Three men and a teenager have been charged following a carjacking in Sydney’s north-west and a high-speed police pursuit from Port Stephens to the NSW Central Coast.
Travelling at over 140km/h, the stolen BMW was tracked by police from Newcastle City, Lake Macquarie, and Tuggerah, as well as Traffic and Highway Patrol, the Dog Unit, and PolAir, before eventually being stopped by road spikes at Ourimbah.
The pursuit followed a carjacking on Sunday morning, where a 29-year-old woman was robbed and assaulted at The Hills Showground Metro Station car park.
At around 8.30am, the Kellyville woman was approached by a man who demanded the keys to her BMW 428i, telling her he had a knife.
Upon handing over the keys and trying to flee, the woman was attacked and suffered minor injuries.
About 9.30pm on Sunday night, the coupe was seen by police near Newcastle Junction but their chase was abandoned due to safety concerns.
An hour later, the luxury car was spotted on the New England Highway near Port Stephens, before PolAir monitored it joining the M1 heading south.
Following a four-hour chase, four males, aged 16, 18 and two aged 19, were arrested about 1am and taken to Wyong Police Station, where they have now been charged with multiple offences.
Police believe the 18 year-old and one of the 19-year-old men were also involved in a carjacking in Newcastle a month ago.
Acting Inspector Gavin Haydon from The Hills Police Area Command said the crime was unusual in the area.
“The victim did notice the person lingering in the car park at the time but she didn’t expect to be robbed,” he said.
“It’s a very safe area generally, it’s quite anomalous that something like that would occur, but the arrests are a good result for the victim and the community.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence.
– @charliejbullis