A man has been apprehended after reportedly assaulting a woman with an axe, subsequently running her over with her own luxury vehicle and leading police on a lengthy, high-speed chase along the New South Wales (NSW) South Coast.
Authorities received a call around 1pm yesterday about a man armed with an axe and hammer in Worrigee, a suburb of Nowra, which is located roughly two hours south of Sydney. Upon their arrival, the man allegedly hurled the axe at a police car before retrieving it and attacking a 66-year-old woman seated in her Ford Mustang nearby.
According to a spokesperson for NSW Police, the man reportedly struck the woman multiple times with the axe and subsequently forced her out of the vehicle. He then drove away in her car, running her over in the process. The woman sustained serious injuries to her legs and torso and is currently in a stable condition at St George Hospital in southern Sydney.
Approximately an hour later, authorities located the stolen Mustang on the Princes Highway. The driver refused to stop, initiating a reckless high-speed chase that covered nearly 50 kilometres north. The pursuit involved multiple locations including Nowra, Bomaderry, Berry, Gerringong, and Kiama, with speeds peaking at 180 km/h in an 80 km/h zone. During the chase, officers attempted to use road spikes to halt the vehicle, but the driver dangerously swerved towards a highway patrol officer, narrowly missing him and the spikes.
The pursuit concluded when the sports car was spotted driving on the wrong side of the Princes Highway at Kiama Downs, where it collided with a utility vehicle before coming to a halt. The driver, a 25-year-old man, attempted to flee on foot but was restrained by members of the public until police arrived.
The man has since been arrested and is under guard at Wollongong Hospital, with police having seized both the axe and hammer used in the initial assault. Additionally, the driver of the utility vehicle involved in the crash was also taken to Wollongong Hospital for treatment.