M5 East Tunnel carjacking causes Sydney traffic chaos
A man with a gunshot wound allegedly led police on a chaotic pursuit across Sydney’s south before attempting to stab a police dog during a dramatic arrest in the M5 East tunnel.
NSW
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A 33-year-old man who tried to stab a police dog after being shot in the leg was finally stopped in a dramatic arrest in the M5 tunnel, following a 60km pursuit that involved two alleged car jackings.
Police swarmed the Marsh St exit to the M5 East tunnel near Sydney airport at Arncliffe where he was tasered and taken into custody more than an hour and a half after he was first spotted 60km to the west in Rosemeadow.
At around 10.30 this morning, Campbelltown police began following an alleged stolen blue Subaru Impreza on Copperfield Dr, which was being driven erratically on the wrong side of the road.
After police stopped the pursuit, the car was then found 20 minutes later at a service station in Narellan, where the driver had allegedly rammed a police vehicle a number of times before threatening customers with a machete.
One male passenger reportedly got out of the vehicle and fled the scene.
He was arrested a short time later and taken to Camden Police Station.
“There was a confrontation between police and the offending driver, there were two other men in the vehicle,” Assistant Commissioner Peter Thurtell said.
“As a result of that confrontation, a police firearm was fired and a man was shot in the back of the leg.”
He said the wounded driver then carjacked another vehicle, a black Subaru, before fleeing the area.
The man then allegedly carjacked another vehicle, a Holden Cruise, on the Hume Highway at Appin, assaulting the male driver who suffered from minor injuries.
Police helicopters and officers on the ground tracked the vehicle until it stopped in the M5 East tunnel, at the Marsh Streetexit, near Arncliffe just after 11.15am.
“During his arrest the man did attempt to stab a police dog but luckily the dog’s okay,” Asst Comm Thurtell said.
The police dog sustained minor injuries and the male offender, from Ambarvale, was taken under police guard to St Vincent’s Hospital and is now in a stable condition for treatment for his leg wound and dog bite injuries.
Police are still searching for the other male passengers.
Witness Michelle McCherry told The Daily Telegraph she had a near miss with the car as police were in pursuit.
“I was driving on Narellan Rd coming towards Campbelltown then a blue Subaru WRX came out from nowhere doing 120km/h, maybe more, heading straight for me,” she said.
“I had to swerve sharply so he missed me and he went on the freeway heading towards Liverpool. Police were in pursuit. I was very scared.
“I thought I was dead for sure. I’m shaky, I won’t be driving again today that’s for sure.”
The M5 East was closed eastbound in the main tunnel during the operation with traffic diverted via the M8.
A critical incident team from Bankstown Police Area Command will now investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The investigation will also be subject to independent review.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.
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