Mitchell James Zak caught doing burnouts outside police station branded as ‘stupid and reckless’

A mechanic doing burnouts in front of a central Gold Coast police station was told his behaviour was “stupid, reckless and dangerous in the extreme”. Watch the video and see what happened to him in court.

A serial hoon caught doing doughnuts outside a Gold Coast police station has been labelled as “stupid, reckless and dangerous in the extreme”.

Mitchell James Zak will also no longer be able to drive for four years after he faced Southport Magistrates Court on Monday for a raft of driving offences. They included dangerous operation of a vehicle, unlicensed driving, speeding and evasion of police.

The mechanic’s worst offences included being caught doing burnouts four times in various places across the Gold Coast on January 22 this year.

The two occasions were watched by about 20 people near a service station in Arundel where he did burnouts until the tyres exploded.

Zak, 26, then went with a group of others to steal tyres from a nearby shop. He proceeded to do more burnouts outside the services station.

The group then moved to Southport where they did burnouts outside the police station and courthouse on Hinze Street. Video of this burnout was later posted to social media app Tik Tok.

The marks are still visible on the roads.

Zak then moved and was spotted doing burnouts on Southport Nerang Rd, Molendinar. In the coming weeks Zak would be spotted speeding, evading police and driving without a licence.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Mary Witham said the driving was “considered deliberately reckless and dangerous”.

Magistrate Ron Kilner placed Zak on two-and-a-half years’ probation, fined him $8937.50 and ordered he be disqualified from holding a drivers licence for four years.

“Your behaviour is not only stupid, it is reckless and dangerous in the extreme,” he said.

“It is prevalent on the Gold Coast, it is stupid behaviour. You are obviously out to impress your so-called friends.”

Magistrate Kilner said Zak came within a “whisker” of spending time in prison.

Defence lawyer Blake Fraser, of Fraser Lawyers, said Zak had become involved with the hooning and burnout scene about a year previous.

He tried to leave in November 2021 but fell back into old habits in January after a hand injury at work, Mr Fraser.

“He felt a sense of acceptance given his knowledge of vehicles and driving abilities,” Mr Fraser said.

“It gave him a sense of self worth but he now realised how detrimental those relationships can be to him.

Mr Fraser said it should be noted the burnouts were late at night when the roads were empty.

He said Zak suffered from anxiety and depression which was now being treated.

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Originally published as Mitchell James Zak caught doing burnouts outside police station branded as ‘stupid and reckless’