Stolen car forces Anzac parade detour in Thuringowa
A stolen blue RAM truck on a hit-and-run rampage forced a last-minute route change to the Anzac Day parade in Townsville, with schoolchildren and veterans moved off the main road due to safety concerns.
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A stolen blue RAM truck on a hit-and-run rampage forced a last-minute route change to the Anzac Day parade in Thuringowa, with schoolchildren and veterans urgently moved off the main road over serious safety concerns.
The parade was due to begin at 9am from Weir School, following Ross River Road into the Riverway Precinct for the 9.30am service at the Thuringowa Cenotaph.
But just before the march stepped off, authorities received reports of a stolen vehicle being driven dangerously in the area.
“They had school kids formed up and now have moved them off the road,” one witness said.
Police said a stolen blue RAM utility — reported stolen from a home in Pimlico just before 7am — had been involved in several hit and run traffic crashes in Thuringowa earlier that morning.
As a precaution organisers rerouted the parade to a pathway behind Weir School along the river and away from the main road, where it proceeded about 20 minutes behind schedule.
Despite the disruption, the Anzac Day commemorations went ahead, with a strong turnout from the local community at the Riverway Precinct.
It appears additional precautions were also taken, with a large truck moved in to block road access into Riverway during the ceremony.
Police said investigations remain ongoing to locate the vehicle and occupants.
The Anzac Day disruption came amid a busy day for Townsville police, with multiple reports of car thefts and a terrifying home invasion in Kirwan.
Jo Sharpe said a group of teens, believed to be around 17 to 18 years old, stormed her mother’s home around 8.30am on Friday, snatching her handbag from beside her as she sat on the couch.
“They returned moments later asking for the car’s immobiliser code. When she told them no, they fled in a 4WD,” Ms Sharpe said.
“My mother and grandmother are very shaken up.”
In another brazen daylight theft, a white Suzuki Swift was stolen in South Townsville while the driver was stopped at the banana stand on Boundary Street.
The car was reportedly taken around 9.40am, with the keys believed to have been left inside while the driver briefly stepped away.
Later in the day, there was a reported carjacking on Bristol St, Vincent around 11.30am and a stolen red Nissan Navara — taken from Townsville City — that was seen driving around town in a stolen car convoy was dumped at the corner of Latchford St and Corcoran St, Pimlico.
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Originally published as Stolen car forces Anzac parade detour in Thuringowa
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