Newmarket shopping centre crash: Car smashes through shopfront
A man has been wheeled away on an ambulance stretcher in handcuffs, after the car he was allegedly driving ploughed into the front of a popular Brisbane restaurant. But that’s not what first caught people’s attention.
Police & Courts
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A man has been wheeled away on an ambulance stretcher in handcuffs last night, after the car he was driving ploughed into the front of a popular Brisbane restaurant following his alleged dangerous driving antics just moments prior.
Police say the man, who was taken to hospital along with a police escort, was allegedly driving down the wrong side of Enoggera Rd in Newmarket at high speed just before 10.30pm.
According to a police spokesman, the man allegedly veered hard into the Newmarket Village shopping complex where he smashed into popular Korean fried chicken restaurant, Crunch K - which had just hours earlier been filled with young families enjoying dinner, witnesses said.
Police officers had been managing traffic flow at nearby roadworks when they say the man allegedly drove through the roadworks on the wrong side of the road, travelling at speed.
The officers made attempts to intercept him as he travelled through the Enoggera Rd roadworks, however the man allegedly sped away at a dangerous speed.
Within seconds of the man allegedly speeding through the area, police heard the crash and raced to the scene.
The man allegedly made attempts to flee the car on foot, however was arrested at the shopping centre before he was taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a stable condition.
Angry witnesses this morning took to social media following the crash.
“I will say this, one hour earlier and a family could have been sitting in a booth there. That’s what angers me,” wrote one local.
While another said emergency services were on scene within seconds.
“I didn’t see the crash but it was thud, then sirens within seconds and they chased him around the shopping centre (on foot)... The police were on the scene almost immediately.”
The man remains in a stable condition in hospital.
It’s expected he will be charged with dangerous driving related offences later today.
Both Crunch K and popular Japanese restaurant Sushi Edo are closed temporarily for repairs following the crash.
“Unfortunately we will be closed for clean up and repairs following a car driving into our shop last night,” wrote Crunch K.
The shop vowed to be back soon though.
“We will do our best to get back up and frying as soon as possible!”
Sushi Edo is thought to have minimal damage to their shop, however is also closed following the crash.
“Dear lovely newmarket customers, we need to temporarily closed (sic) for fixing our shop,” the popular sushi restaurant next to Crunch K wrote online.
“Unfortunately, we had an accident last night. We are trying to make right as soon as possible. We are temporarily closed until further notice.”