SA police wrap: Man arrested over police assault at Elizabeth Downs petrol station | Man’s face spray painted in gang attack at Christie Downs
A driver has been arrested for allegedly dragging a police officer beside a high-powered car before assaulting him.
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SA crime and emergency services news for the week starting Sunday, August 2.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 8
MAN ARRESTED OVER POLICE OFFICER ASSAULT
A police officer was dragged alongside a high-powered vehicle and then assaulted by its driver before he could break free, it will be alleged.
The incident occurred at Elizabeth Downs just before 9pm on Thursday.
Police say a silver Holden sedan, with registration XA288M, was committing traffic offences on Hamblynn Road.
When the car was stopped at a service station, an officer tried to speak to the driver through an open door.
It will be alleged the car suddenly reversed, dragging the officer alongside the vehicle.
The driver allegedly assaulted the officer before he separated from the car, which then sped away.
The officer was treated for minor injuries.
On Friday, detectives visited a Craigmore home and found the Holden Commodore.
A 28-year-old man was arrested and charged with endangering life, assaulting a prescribed emergency worker and driving unlicensed.
He was refused bail and will appear at Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Monday.
Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
GANG ATTACK TWO MEN OVER SPEAKER
A gang of eight people attacked two men – spray painting one in the face and hitting the other with a bottle – to steal a portable speaker at Christie Downs, police say.
Officers were called to the intersection of Morton and Flaxmill roads after reports of an assault involved a group of people just after 5am on Saturday.
One victim was hit on the head with a bottle and punched in the face, while the other victim had his face spray painted.
After injuring the victims, the group stole a portable speaker and were last seen running off in an easterly direction.
Police searched the area but could not find the suspects. They are described as caucasian and in their late teens.
The 20-year-old victims, both from the southern suburbs, were taken to the Noarlunga Hospital for treatment of minor injuries
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
TRUCK COLLIDES WITH PEDESTRIAN
A man who was hit by a truck at Glenelg East is recovering in hospital.
Police patrols and paramedics were called to the intersection of Augusta Street and Brighton Road after a truck hit a pedestrian about midday on Saturday.
A 57-year-old Adelaide man was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The truck driver was not injured.
Police are investigating the circumstances of the incident.
SUSPICIOUS BLAZE IN NORTHERN SUBURBS
Police are investigating a suspicious fire at Elizabeth North.
MFS crews responded to triple-0 calls for a fire burning at a property on Main North Rd about 6.35pm on Friday.
When firefighters arrived the blaze had spread from its ignition point in a garage to a caravan.
It took 20 minutes to extinguish.
The cause is believed to be suspicious.
F RIDAY, AUGUST 7
TEENS ARRESTED IN SCHOOLYARD FIGHT
Three teenagers have been arrested and charged with assault following a schoolyard brawl at Port Lincoln High School. Police received reports of an assault involving students at the school about 3.40pm Tuesday. It is alleged three teenage boys assaulted two other 16-year-old boys who also attended the school.
The three local boys, aged 14,15 and 16, were arrested and charged with aggravated assault.
They were bailed to appear in the Port Lincoln Magistrates Court in September.
Police are seeking more information on the incident and urge witnesses to contact the Port Lincoln Police Station on 8688 3020.
POLICE SEEK WITNESS TO DERNANCOURT ASSAULT
A suspect is on the run following a serious assault in Dernancourt on Sunday.
A man was seriously assaulted with an unknown weapon outside a Dernancourt shopping centre on Lower North East Rd about 12.30pm Sunday.
The victim, a 30-year-old Salisbury North man sustained serious head injuries, resulting in a fractured skill and brain bleed. He was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment.
The suspect fled the scene in a black 4WD.
Police do not believe the incident was random and suspect the victim was known to the subject.
Anyone with information of the assault is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
DELAYS EXPECTED ON SOUTH EASTERN FREEWAY
There were delays on the South Eastern Freeway this morning after a 4WD and semi-trailer collided.
The incident happened on the city-bound track between Hahndorf and Bridgewater just before 6.30am on Friday and was cleared about an hour later.
No one was seriously injured but there were traffic delays for motorists driving to Adelaide.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6
CLOSE CALL ON THE ROAD
Murray Bridge man Nigel Schutz has shared footage of a nail-biting near miss on the Princes Highway, in a bid to get drivers to think about their actions on the roads.
Mr Schutz, a pest controller who works across the Upper South East and Murraylands, said he had finished a day’s work in Meningie last Friday and was about 10 kilometres from Tailem Bend when the incident occurred.
“The driver on the other side of the road flashed their lights in front of me, and at first I thought there must be something up ahead,” he said.
But after looking at his side windows, Mr Schutz realised there was a car sitting right alongside him, also travelling at 110 kilometres an hour.
“I touched my brake and slowed down and the car got in front of me, but it missed my car by inches,” he said.
In the footage caught on the dashcam, the driver on the other side of the road that had earlier flashed their lights can be seen being forced to pull off to the side of the road to avoid a collision.
Concerningly, Mr Schutz only bought the dashcam that captured the footage last year after another concerning incident.
“I’m always on the road but 12 months ago I bought a dashcam, after I had a driver heading towards me on the South Eastern Freeway – driving on the wrong side of the road,” he said.
Mr Schutz is urging drivers to think about their actions on the road.
“When COVID hit, there was a lot less traffic on the road. During the shutdowns, I could drive from home to Lameroo and only see one car,” he said.
“Now that people have started to get back on the road, I think everyone is a bit anxious.”
Mr Schutz reported last Friday’s incident to SAPOL.
MAN CHARGED WITH SEX OFFENCES AGAINST THREE CHILDREN
An Eyre Peninsula man has been arrested and charged with child sex offences against three children known to him.
Police allege the offences occurred between 2010 and 2019, involving three children aged under 15 years. The children were known to the man, police say.
The local man, 36, has been arrested and charged with persistent sexual exploitation of a child, sexual assault, indecent assault, and acts to endanger a child.
He was bailed to appear in the Port Lincoln Magistrates Court in September.
MAN CHARGED FOLLOWING FATAL CRASH
A man has been reported after a fatal crash at Warradale – involving a car and a pedestrian on Tuesday night.
Police and paramedics were called to Diagonal Road about 7.30pm Tuesday after a Nissan utility hit a pedestrian near Ormonde Ave.
The pedestrian, a 27-year-old woman from the state’s Far North, died at the scene.
The driver of the Nissan, a 77-year-old Glenelg North man, was not injured.
Major Crash Investigators interviewed the driver on Wednesday night, and reported him for aggravated driving without due care. He will be summonsed to appear in court at a later date.
Major Crash detectives are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the crash, or have dashcam footage of the incident, or moments leading up to the incident, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
UTE TORCHED AFTER SMASHING INTO POLE
A red ute has been found torched in Regency Park after it was involved in a crash in the CBD on Wednesday night.
The driver of the ute crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of Frome Road and North Terrace at 10pm.
The vehicle was later seen speeding west on Torrens Road at Kilkenny with the front bumper bar hanging off the car.
Police were unable to locate the driver, however, fire crews were called to a small side street off Main South Road at Regency Park just after 11pm.
They found the red ute completely torched on Wirriga Street. A jerry can was found next to the burned shell.
Crime Scene officers will forensically examine the car and jerry can on Thursday morning – as police continue to search for the ute’s owner.
A Ute involved in a hit-run in the city has been torched at Regency Park. A jerry can was found near the burning vehicle. @10NewsFirstAdl pic.twitter.com/dNKMhHGijP
— Cam Inglis (@inglis_cam) August 5, 2020
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5
DAUGHTER DIES IN ELIZABETH NORTH INCIDENT
The daughter of an elderly woman, who suddenly died in her Elizabeth North home last month, has also died before detectives were able to speak with her.
Just before 7pm on Sunday July 26, ambulance officers found a 92-year-old woman dead inside her Whiteparish Road home.
Her daughter, 62, was also found unconscious inside. She never regained consciousness and eventually died in hospital last Friday night.
Police say the mother and daughter lived together at the address.
No one else is being sought over the incident and the deaths will be subject to a coronial investigation.
PRAWN BOAT SAVED IN PORT LINCOLN BLAZE
Quick working firefighters managed to save a $4 million prawn boat after a fire broke out on a slipway in Port Lincoln on Wednesday afternoon.
Metropolitan Fire Service crews, with the Country Fire Service attended to reports of the blaze about 3.15pm Tuesday on Slipway Road.
The 22m long trawler was undergoing maintenance when a pile of rags inside the freezer room was ignited by equipment being used.
The fire took hold in the hull of the boat, which caused it to become smoke logged.
Fire fighters, using thermal imaging cameras, contained the blaze within 15 minutes, and contained the damage of the $4 million vessel to $100,000.
PEDESTRIAN KILLED AT WARRADALE
A woman has died after a crash at Warradale.
Paramedics were called to Diagonal Rd after a Nissan utility collided with a woman near Ormonde Ave just before 7.30pm on Tuesday.
The woman – a 27-year old from the State’s Far North – died at the scene. The driver of the ute, a 77-year-old man from Glenelg North, was not injured.
Diagonal Rd was closed for several hours while Major Crash investigators examined the scene. The road reopened just before 1.30am on Wednesday.
The woman’s death is the 59th life lost on SA roads this year as compared to 69 for the same time in 2019.
Anyone who witnessed the crash who hasn’t yet spoken to police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
TWO ARRESTED OVER DRUG FIND
Two men have been arrested after police officers found methamphetamine, cannabis and prescription drugs in a pencil case inside a car at Walkerville on Wednesday morning.
Police also found four pipes.
Officers were called to investigate suspicious activity in the car park of a hotel on North East Rd just after 1.30am.
They spoke to two men and a woman sitting in a BMW sedan.
The owner of the vehicle then left the hotel and walked to the car, where he and another man were arrested.
A 25-year-old man from Norwood and a 35-year-old man from Northgate were both charged with trafficking a controlled drug in a prescribed area, possess prescription medication and possess drug equipment.
MAN CRITICAL AFTER PARINGA ASSAULT
A man has been found unresponsive in his Riverland cabin more than 24 hours after he was critically assaulted at the weekend.
Police say the man, 29, was assaulted by another man known to him during an altercation in the grounds of a Paringa accommodation facility just after midnight on Sunday.
Emergency services were called on Monday night after the victim did not show up for work that day. He was found unresponsive in his cabin.
He was rushed to the Berri Hospital with life-threatening injuries and he is expected to be flown to the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Tuesday.
Riverland detectives arrested a 25-year-old man and charged him with assault causing serious harm.
He was refused bail to appear in the Berri Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Detectives believe several people witnessed the assault on Saturday night into Sunday morning and urge anyone with information to come forward.
Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000
WOMAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED JEWELLERY THEFT FROM AGED CARE HOME
Police have uncovered a stash of jewellery they believe was stolen from an aged care home in Victor Harbor. Detectives attended a Hackham West Home on Thursday as part of an investigation into a report of jewellery stolen from an aged care home.
They found 50 jewellery items, including rings, bracelets, necklaces and two lockets, containing black and white photographs of people.
A woman, 46, from Hackham West, was reported for theft after one of the rings was positively identified as being stolen from the aged care home. Police suspect the other jewellery is also stolen, and are appealing to the public to help identify the rightful owners.
Detectives are working with the elderly residents to identify the items but anyone who recognises the jewellery is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The woman will be summonsed to appear in court at a later date.
MAN ARRESTED OVER ARSON
A man who allegedly set a car on fire at Elizabeth has been arrested.
Police say the man set fire to the car while it was parked at Elizabeth Shopping Centre about 11.50am on Monday.
No one was injured but the yellow Ford Falcon sedan was damaged.
Shopping centre security officers battled the fire until MFS crews arrived and extinguished the blaze.
A 35-year-old Elizabeth East man was arrested on Tuesday night and charged with arson.
He was refused bail and is expected to appear at Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Detectives are looking for witnesses to the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
PORT PIRIE NOISE COMPLAINTS
Extra police will be patrolling the Port Pirie South area after a series of calls reporting loud explosions in recent weeks.
Police say the explosion-like noises have been occurring regularly and is “causing great concern to the community”.
Increased police resources will be deployed to the area.
The maximum penalty for the unlawful use of fireworks or explosives is $5000.
MONDAY, AUGUST 3
MAN SERIOUSLY INJURED IN MID NORTH CRASH
A 19-year old driver is recovering in hospital after a crash near Burra, about 150km north of Adelaide.
Emergency services were called to the Barrier Highway, 10km of Burra, after reports of a single car rollover just before 6pm on Monday.
The male driver was taken to a local hospital by ambulance before he was flown to Royal Adelaide Hospital with serious injuries.
INDECENT BEHAVIOUR IN KINGSWOOD
Police are investigating the second report of indecent behaviour in Kingswood in recent days, where a teenager was approached by a man in a car acting in an indecent manner.
VICTORIAN MAN ARRESTED NEAR MOUNT GAMBIER
A Victorian man who allegedly walked into SA past a border checkpoint has been arrested for breaching COVID directions near Mount Gambier.
An Australian Defence Force member found the man walking along Caroline Rd – about 100m past the border checkpoint – at 6.40am on Sunday.
The 39-year-old of no fixed address was arrested.
He was taken to Mount Gambier police station and charged with failing to comply with a direction.
He was refused police bail and appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court, where he was remanded in custody for a week. More information on SA border breaches can be read here.
LEARNER DRIVER CAUGHT 50KMS OVER
A learner driver has been fined more than $2000 for travelling more than 50km/h over the limit at Conmurra, near Lucindale, in the state’s South East on Sunday.
Patrols were conducting speed detection duties on the Princes Hwy around 11.30am Sunday when they noticed a Holden travelling 161km/h in a 110km/h zone.
Police stopped the driver, a boy, 17, who only held a learner’s permit. He was driving with friends in the car, however none of them was an appropriate qualified supervising driver.
The Mansfield Park boy was issued an expiation notice for excessive speed, driving without a qualified supervising driver and other breaches of his learner’s permit, totalling $2634.
MAN ARRESTED AFTER LONSDALE CRASH
A driver is on the run after crashing his car through a fence during a pursuit, but his passenger was arrested and is not co-operating with police.
Police say they are still searching for the second man after the crash at Lonsdale on Sunday night.
Police say a patrol tried to stop a Holden sedan travelling west on O’Sullivan Beach Rd about 10pm.
It will be alleged the sedan took off and, instead of turning left on to Morrow Road, lost control and crashed through a fence.
Two occupants ran away from the scene but a 38-year-old Christie Downs man was arrested nearby.
He was charged with failing to truly answer when questioned about the identity of the driver and was refused bail. He will appear at Christies Beach Magistrates Court on Monday.
Anyone with information about identity of the driver is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
PORT AUGUSTA WEST FIRE CAUSES DAMAGE
A fire has caused severe damage to two vacant properties and forced the evacuation of people staying at a Port Augusta West motel.
Police and fire crews responded to reports of a unused house fully engulfed in flames on Burgoyne Street about 2.15am on Monday.
A second vacant property caught alight before the fire could be contained.
Residents staying at a nearby motel were evacuated as a precaution. Part of the Augusta Highway was closed while the fire was controlled.
There were no reports of injuries.
Port Augusta detectives and Crime Scene investigators attended the scene and were unable to determine the cause of the fire.
Fire Cause investigators from Adelaide will inspect the scene on Monday.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 2
GYM JUNKIE COPS BIG FINE
An Adelaide Hills man who returned home after a holiday in NSW has been fined more than $6000 for exercising at the gym instead of self-quarantining.
Police say the man, 25, of Woodside, returned home from NSW via Adelaide Airport on July 20.
He was directed to self-quarantine for two weeks, but instead allegedly went to a local gym at least six times.
Officers investigated the man after receiving information he had been breaching his directions.
Police eventually fined the man six times for attending the gym, bringing the total amount to $6360.
INDECENT ASSAULT AT CAVAN
A man has been arrested for allegedly grabbing a woman from behind and indecently assaulting her on Sunday morning.
The woman was walking on Port Wakefield Road, near Thomas Street, when the man, 31, allegedly assaulted her.
The victim escaped his grasp uninjured and called police.
Officers arrested the 31-year-old at his Northfield home.
He has was charged with indecent assault and granted bail to appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court next month.
HOUSE FIRE AT SMITHFIELD PLAINS
Two men have been injured in a house fire at Smithfield Plains on Sunday morning, after grabbing a burning curtain.
The blaze broke out at a home on Greenwood Crescent just before 7am.
More than 20 MFS firefighters rushed to the scene as flames were seen coming from the roof space, melting a set of solar panels.
It took crews about 30 minutes to contain the blaze, which started from a bar heater being too close to flammable items.
MFS Station Officer Jason Draper said one man, 35, woke up to find a curtain on fire in his bedroom.
“He has attempted to grab the curtain and run out of the building and, in doing so, has received some burns to his left hand,” he said.
“(Another) male occupant inside the building tried to help him do that and he has received some minor burns to his back.”
The man with burns to his hand was taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment, while the other was treated by ambulance officers at the scene.
“It does appear to have started in a bedroom, but we are not sure at this point,” Mr Draper said.
“(The owners) are a little bit upset, a little bit blown away – they didn’t expect this early on a Sunday morning.”
The damage bill is estimated at $200,000.
It’s the latest in a spate of fires across Adelaide this weekend, including a fatal blaze at Parafield Gardens.
MAN ARRESTED AT CONSTRUCTION SITE
A man has been arrested for allegedly trespassing on a construction site at Novar Gardens in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Officers were called to Nagle Crescent after a neighbour saw the man acting suspiciously in a parked Holden sedan just before 3.30am.
When patrols arrived, they could hear movement at the back of the construction site.
Police dog Zac found the man, 25, of Morphettville, hiding behind a rainwater tank.
He was arrested and charged with being unlawfully on premises.
The man was granted bail to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court next month.