At approximately 4:00 AM, officers from the Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command pursued a dark-coloured Audi A1 on Old South Head Road in Rose Bay. The situation escalated when the vehicle drove towards police on Sir Thomas Mitchell Road, prompting an officer to fire several shots. According to police, three of these shots struck the car’s windscreen, while another hit the bonnet.
The police pursuit was called off due to the vehicle’s excessive speed, but the driver was later discovered hiding in a garden shed in North Bondi. Lau Toro, a nearby resident, alerted the authorities after noticing the man in his backyard. “He was sleeping, and I was like, ‘who is this guy?’ I tried to call the police and then I saw the police car,” Toro recounted.
Investigations revealed that the Audi had been stolen from Double Bay at around 3:20 AM prior to the chase. The 24-year-old driver was apprehended and charged with multiple offences, including car theft, failing to stop for police, breaking and entering, and resisting arrest. Additionally, two outstanding arrest warrants were executed in relation to his arrest.
Following his apprehension, the man was denied bail and is set to appear in Parramatta Local Court. An internal review will assess the circumstances surrounding the officer’s use of fire, although it was confirmed that no officers were harmed during the incident. The stolen Audi is currently undergoing examination by forensic experts.