Juveniles chased into Rockhampton swampland after police stingers stop stolen car

A dramatic dawn police operation has unfolded on Rockhampton’s outskirts with a dog squad chasing juveniles into swampland after highway stingers stopped a stolen car.

Five people were arrested, all believed to be juveniles, after a dramatic foot chase through Rockhampton swampland on New Year’s Day 2023. Generic image.

Police deployed highway stingers to stop a stolen car full of juveniles on Rockhampton’s outskirts on Sunday morning.

What followed was a dramatic foot chase of at least five occupants, all believed to be juveniles, into the swamplands around the Yeppen Lagoon.

“We deployed a tyre deflation device at 4.30am on the Capricorn Highway at Scrubby Creek,” a Queensland Police Service spokesman said.

“They (occupants) ran from a stolen car and then the dog squad has tracked them.”

After the vehicle’s occupants fled on foot, multiple police units descended on areas around Rockhampton Airport.

The foot chase through challenging terrain went for some time before police arrested five people.

“The five (people) are assisting police after being located by the dog squad on the western side of the airport,” the QPS spokesman said.

The QPS spokesman said the vehicle involved in this incident, a Mitsubishi Outlander, was stolen from Blackwater in the early hours of Sunday morning.

He said this was a different vehicle to the one used in the ram-raiding of a Blackwater business about 2.30am on Sunday.

Police are still investigating whether these incidents are linked.

If you have information for police, phone Policelink on 131 444.