DEATH IN CUSTODY: Shocking Moment Police-CHASE Driver, 33, Dies in Crash After Allegedly Stealing Car and Reaching Speeds of 180km/h
- Tragic crash on Eyre Highway, South Australia, after driver allegedly evaded police in stolen car
- Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott confirms death in custody investigation amid claims police helicopter tracked vehicle
- Driver, from Adelaide, had been wanted by police for domestic violence and other issues, and died at the scene
A heart-stopping police chase ended in tragedy when a 33-year-old driver died in a crash on the Eyre Highway in South Australia, sparking a death in custody investigation. The allegedly stolen car, a blue Ford sedan, had been involved in a petrol drive-off earlier that day, and police claim the driver had reached speeds of up to 180 kilometres per hour.
Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott revealed that police had conducted an “active risk assessment” before the crash, citing the driver’s “erratic” and “dangerous” behaviour as a major concern. “One of those major determining factors was that the erratic … driving of this particular person was putting other people’s lives on the roads at potential risk,” he said.
The incident began when police were called to a service station in Port Augusta after the driver allegedly drove off without paying for petrol. A police helicopter tracked the vehicle as it travelled on Iron Knob Road and then west on the Eyre Highway towards Kimba, with the driver narrowly missing an officer at a roadside rest stop.
“At times, the driving behaviour of that vehicle was quite erratic — up to approximately 180km/h at points in time and also driving onto the wrong side of the road. Clearly, this type of driving behaviour necessitates us to intervene,” Assistant Commissioner Parrott said.
Police set road spikes at the entrance and exit of the car park, but the driver got back into the car and sped off, crashing less than two kilometres along the highway. Despite attempts to conduct CPR, the driver died at the scene.
The assistant commissioner said the man was known to police, who had been looking for him “in relation to domestic violence and a couple of other issues as well”. “Tragically, he has made some choices yesterday which have resulted in him losing his life,” he said.