Video: Man crashes his car into Morphett Vale childcare centre in ‘deliberate’ act
Video shows the moment a driver appears to deliberately ram his car into a southern suburbs childcare centre overnight before fleeing the scene. A man has handed himself in to police.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A man was dumping hard rubbish and arguing with two women before driving his car into the front door of a southern suburbs childcare centre on Tuesday night, a witness says.
Chaise Olah, 18, videoed the man lining up his white Holden Statesman with the entrance of the Morphett Vale Early Learning Centre on Flaxmill Rd just after 10.30pm.
Footage shows him accelerating over a kerb and into the front door, causing extensive structural damage.
The alleged driver – a 40-year-old man from Sheidow Park – fled the scene of the crash, but handed himself in at Christies Beach police station later on Wednesday.
He was arrested and charged with property damage, misuse of a car and failing to stop after an accident. He was bailed to appear at Christies Beach Magistrates Court on August 7.
Ms Olah told The Advertiser the man was dumping hard rubbish outside the childcare centre and arguing with two women in a grey SUV just before the crash.
“Something just set him off and then he decided to drive straight into the daycare (centre),” she said.
Ms Olah called police when she noticed the man behaving erratically, pacing up and down the street and trying to “punch in” the window of the women’s SUV.
“Then he got into his car, started his car, and the lady followed him to take the keys off of him, but he reversed too quickly so she moved out of the way.
“And then he went straight into the building.”
Ms Olah was concerned the car would catch fire when she saw smoke after the impact.
“There was a lot of smoke coming from the car at first, so we weren’t sure if we should enter into the daycare centre to get fire extinguishers in case it went up in flames,” she said.
Southern District Police have arrested a man after he crashed his car into a child care centre at Morphett Vale overnight.
Just after 10.30pm on Tuesday 16 June, police and MFS crews responded to calls from the public, after a white Holden Statesman had crashed into the child care centre on Flaxmill Road.
On arrival, officers found that the Statesman had careered into the front entrance of the premises causing extensive structural damage to the building. The driver had fled prior to police arrival.
Police spoke to a number of witnesses who described the incident as a deliberate act.
A police crime scene examiner attended to examine the vehicle.
The alleged driver, a 40-year-old man from Sheidow Park, handed himself into the Christies Beach Police Station today.
He was arrested and charged with property damage, misuse of a motor vehicle and failing to stop after an accident. He was bailed to appear in the Christies Beach Magistrates Court on 7 August
Police investigations are continuing, anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.