Source : Perth Now news
A chaotic scene unfolded in one of Sydney’s main thoroughfares after a suspected carjacker forced a young woman from her vehicle before injuring a pedestrian and sparking a wild crash.
The dramatic incident happened about 9pm on Thursday at the intersection of King St and Pitt St in the CBD.
Police say a woman in her 20s was approached by a man in the George St area who forced her out of her car, snatched the Mazda sedan and drove off.
As the carjacker sped off, he struck a bollard that was sent flying into the head of a woman in her 50s who was walking along Market St.
But the alleged joy ride came to an abrupt halt when the vehicle collided with a rideshare vehicle, sending it ploughing into a stationary police car.
Two officers were in the car at the time but were uninjured and were able to immediately climb out and arrest the suspect.
Acting Superintendent Andy Solah said the incident appeared to be a random attack.
“It definitely was a chaotic scene. It was very crowded, we are very lucky that no one was seriously injured,” he said.
“A number of bystanders came in to offer medical assistance to everyone involved and they did a really good job of doing that.”
The woman suffered cuts to her head and was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to hospital in a stable condition.
The driver of the stolen car, a 36-year-old man, was also taken to hospital for mandatory testing.
He remains at St Vincent’s Hospital under police guard, with officers suspecting the driver may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
“We believe it was a random attack. We had reports over a short period of time of a male person acting erratically and police were responding to those reports at that time,” Superintendent Solah added.
“It was extremely dangerous and we were very fortunate there weren’t more serious injuries. It definitely could have been worse – it is fortunate we were able to arrest the man so quickly.
“There were a lot of shoppers around the Queen Victoria Building at the time.”
He said the woman whose car was stolen was “obviously shaken” by the ordeal.
The suspect, who is expected to face charges later on Friday, was not known to NSW Police, but Superintendent Solah said police in South Australia had previous dealings with him.
Anybody who witnessed the collision, or the moments preceding it, are urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
