Trey Mezzatesta-Christian jailed for almost three years for leading police on chase and possessing loaded rifle

A face-tattooed meth addict led police on a bizarre chase that never topped 50km/h chase – but it was what he had in the car that landed him in jail.

A paranoid methamphetamine addict led police on a slow-speed pursuit through the northern suburbs before an associate tried to help him get away, a judge has said.

Trey Mezzatesta-Christian, 25, pleaded guilty to aggravated driving dangerously to escape police pursuit as well as possessing a sawn-off, loaded rifle and ammunition.

On Friday, District Court Judge Kris Handshin said Mezzatesta-Christian had been driving a stolen car in Elizabeth Grove on May 10, 2021, when police spotted him in the northern suburbs.

They turned their lights and sirens on and caught up with him near a roundabout.

Mezzatesta-Christian led police on a brief pursuit where he travelled at between 15 and 50km/h.

Judge Handshin said the dangerous part of the pursuit was when Mezzatesta-Christian entered a roundabout from the wrong direction, making two other cars take evasive action.

Mezzatesta-Christian continued to slowly drive away from police even after three of his tyres were deflated by tyre spikes.

He kept driving until a woman in a Ford sedan cut police off to try to give Mezzatesta-Christian a chance to get away.

Trey Mezzatesta-Christian has been jailed for leading police on a dangerous chase and possessing a loaded sawn-off rifle. Picture: Facebook.

Mezzatesta-Christian jumped out of the car and tried to get in the Ford, but missed the chance and instead ran into a nearby reserve.

He was arrested in the reserve and a bum bag he had been wearing was recovered.

Police found five unspent rounds of ammunition and one fired round.

Two metres from Mezzatesta-Christian’s car was the sawn-off rifle. He initially told police he was unaware the gun was in his car until he ran over the tyre spikes and it slid out from under the front seat.

However, faced with trial, Mezzatesta-Christian confessed to having purchased the gun out of fear for his own safety and for the protection of his partner and young child.

Judge Handshin said Mezzatesta-Christian had both a methamphetamine and GHB use disorder and had become addicted to buprenorphine – a drug used to treat withdrawals from other substances – while serving a four-year sentence for drug trafficking.

Mezzatesta-Christian was on parole for the earlier drug dealing when he tried to escape from police and had the rifle.

He had remained in custody since being arrested and was ordered to serve the remaining nine months of the sentence.

Judge Handshin sentenced Mezzatesta-Christian to two years, nine months and 29 days in custody with a mandatory non-parole period of two years, three months and seven days.

With time already served Mezzatesta-Christian will be eligible for release in July next year.