Police searching for suspects after stolen Audi involved in Willows carjacking found abandoned

A senior Townsville officer has revealed two police cars have been targeted by kids driving a stolen Audi that went viral.

A senior Townsville officer has labelled the group of juveniles who targeted a woman and her six-month-old baby in a brazen carjacking attempt as “cowards” as police investigate a crime spree that also targeted police cars using a stolen Audi.

No arrests have yet been made, although the Audi was found abandoned early on Thursday morning by police.

Detective Inspector Jason Shepherd said the targeted woman had done the right thing by securing herself and her child in the car and calling 000.

Townsville resident Chris Thurley speaks about the moment youths attempted to carjack his family’s car with his child inside.

“As we saw on this occasion too once she made herself safe, they weren’t game to hang around, they were taking off,” Det. Insp. Shepherd said.

”Generally what we find is that a lot of these young people especially when there’s only a few of them, they’re basically cowards.”

The incident, which wasn’t reported to police by the family targeted, went viral after the woman’s irate husband filmed a selfie video lashing the government’s inability to combat youth crime.

The Audi was stolen from a Belgian Gardens residence overnight on Monday and has been involved in a number of incidents since, including attempted break and enters, thefts and fuel drive-offs.

Townsville Detective Inspector Jason Shepherd. Picture: Evan Morgan

Det. Insp. Shepherd said two police vehicles had also been targeted by one of the groups of youths who had been using the stolen Audi.

“Yesterday morning at 4.30am, the stolen car pulled up next to a stationary, marked police car, and one of the occupants got out quickly with a golf club and hit the windscreen in the police car and then the stolen car drove away.

“Again, this morning around 4.50am the stolen car went past another stationary, marked police car and threw a large rock at the windscreen of the police car.”

Youths posted on social media with a stolen white Audi Q7. Picture: Instagram

Neither of the police crews inside the vehicles sustained injuries during the incidents, and the vehicle was located abandoned shortly after in Thuringowa Central.

Asked why neither police vehicle pursued the Audi after being attacked, Det. Insp. Shepherd said the officers involved had made a Judgement call under the current police pursuit policy.

“We do a continual risk assessment and that can include the type of offences that are committed, the age of the drivers, the experience of the drivers. Primarily, we’re looking at whether the pursuit could cause more danger to members of the community, for police and people in the car.

“We have to constantly weigh that up. The policy’s there and it’s a decision on individual officers as to wether they decide to pursue or not.”

Det. Insp. Shepherd said police already had multiple suspects who had been seen using the stolen car and they were now conducting forensic investigation of the Audi.

Originally published as Police searching for suspects after stolen Audi involved in Willows carjacking found abandoned