Tahnwa Manrique faces Noosa Magistrates Court for Hastings St incident

A truck driver who called himself ‘Michael Angelo’ was caught with a beer bottle in his hand after leading police on a bizarre chase along a busy Coast street. Here’s what happened when he faced court:

Tahnwa Manrique outside the Noosa Magistrates Court on October 18, 2022.

A man who was more than five times the legal alcohol limit when he led police on a low-speed car chase with his horn blaring along the Noosa glitter strip has faced court.

Tahnwa Manrique pleaded guilty to 10 charges in the Noosa Magistrates Court on Tuesday, October 18, including evasion and driving under the influence.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Phillip Stephens said Noosa police noticed the vehicle with the horn blaring in Hastings St about midnight on September 25.

Officers got into their car, put lights and sirens on and tried to block the car in the street.

“(Manrique) stopped the vehicle and police exited the police vehicle and approached the defendant on foot, he sighted police and slowly drove forward past the police vehicle,” Sergeant Stephens said.

Police kept their lights and sirens on and followed the 34-year-old’s car around the Hastings St roundabout and along the same street at speeds below 40kmh.

Tahnwa Manrique outside the Noosa Magistrates Court on October 18, 2022.

Sergeant Stephens said police followed for about 300m before Manrique pulled over.

The East Perth man had a large bottle of unopened beer in his hand and recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.274.

Sergeant Stephens said as police put the man in the police vehicle, he claimed his name was “Michael Angelo” and jammed his foot in the door.

Police also found 20g of marijuana and a metal smoking pipe. Once Manrique was in the watch-house he tore apart a cell cushion.

Duty lawyer Bernard Bradley said the truck driver was making his way from Moranbah in Central Queensland to Victoria.

“He stopped over in Noosa on his way and has drunk far too much alcohol to be behind the wheel,” he said.

The duty lawyer said he had a prescription for the marijuana but it was in the wrong container.

Manrique also pleaded guilty to contravening a police direction, obstructing police, failure to comply when in control of a vehicle, possessing a pipe, possessing dangerous drugs, not wearing a seatbelt, wilful damage and a breach of bail.

Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist fined him $7500 and disqualified him from driving for two years.

Convictions were recorded for the traffic offences.