DRAMATIC TAKEDOWN: Police Ram Stolen Van in Wild Western Sydney Chase – Witness Describes ‘Harrowing’ Moment Armed Officers in ‘Military Gear’ Swarm Vehicle
- Armed police in Western Sydney rammed a stolen van during a dramatic arrest on Saturday morning, leaving witnesses shaken
- The vehicle was deliberately struck at an intersection in Parramatta, with the 48-year-old driver arrested and taken into custody
- Police drew their firearms during the operation, which followed a pursuit along the M4 Motorway that was terminated due to safety concerns
- The van’s passenger, a 30-year-old woman, was found uninjured on a nearby street and is assisting police with their inquiries
Witnesses described the ‘harrowing’ moment armed police officers, dressed in ‘military gear’, swarmed the stolen van after it was rammed by police on a busy Western Sydney road.
‘It was like something out of a movie,’ one witness said. ‘I was just driving to work when I saw the police cars surrounding the van. The next thing I knew, they were ramming it and the woman was being pulled out.’
The dramatic scene unfolded at the intersection of James Ruse Drive and Short Street in Parramatta just after 11am on Saturday. Police had been pursuing the van, which was stolen from St Marys, along the M4 Motorway before the chase was terminated due to safety concerns.
A short time later, officers located the van on James Ruse Drive, where it was stopped with the assistance of Polair and the Tactical Operations Group. The driver, a 48-year-old woman, was arrested and taken to Granville Police Station for questioning.
In a statement, NSW Police said the passenger of the van, a 30-year-old woman, was found uninjured on King Street, Parramatta, and was assisting police with their inquiries.
Witnesses told of the chaotic scenes that followed the arrest, with two of three northbound lanes on James Ruse Drive closed amid the police operation. ‘It was chaos,’ one witness said. ‘People were trying to get to work and the police were everywhere.’
A video posted to TikTok appears to show the van driving down a suburban footpath in an attempt to avoid police vehicles. The clip, captioned ‘early morning at Parramatta’ with a crying emoji, shows perplexed neighbours coming out of their homes to observe the scene.
Police sources stressed the incident was completely unrelated to the Bondi terror attack.