Summernats: Violent crowd condemned over behaviour at illegal burnout meet during festival
NSW police will begin publicly shaming violent Summernats spectators who shoplifted from a petrol station near Canberra during an illegal burnout meeting.
Canberra Star
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NSW police are preparing to begin plastering Facebook with photos of shoplifters who were among a feral crowd that pelted officers with bottles as they tried to stop drivers doing reckless burnouts at a late night meet up during Summernats.
A lawless crowd of 2000 — many of whom were Summernats spectators — met up at the Eaglehawk turn-off on the Federal Highway, just over the NSW border, late on Friday night.
The crowd, which remained until the early hours of Saturday morning, egged on hoon drivers doing burnouts down the highway on ramp, and pelted police officers with bottles when they showed up to break up the gathering, forcing them to flee.
Two police cars were left with broken windscreens and one officer suffered minor injuries.
Investigators have since begun sifting through security camera footage from the United petrol station, where they allege “numerous persons entered the service station and stole a variety of items”.
Investigators have spent recent days combing through security camera footage and have identified suspected shoplifters.
“Police … are currently reviewing CCTV from the location and preparing a publication package for identification purposes,” Monaro Police District said in a statement.
“Images of these offences will then be published to social media over the coming week.”
Police have vowed to hold offenders to account over the alleged shoplifting and petrol thefts.
Acting Superintendent Neil Grey on Saturday condemned the crowd’s behaviour, saying it sucked up scarce resource during the bushfire emergency.
“It is appalling how, at a time when the state’s south is facing serious bushfire threat, some individuals choose to conduct themselves in such a reckless manner,” Acting Supt Grey said.
Investigators have urged anyone with information about the crown to come forward with information to Crime Stoppers, or to the Queanbeyan police station.
Summernats organisers have tried to distance themselves from the behaviour of the crowd, which came after the second day of the annual car festival, just 7km up the highway from the festival’s Exhibition Park venue.
The festival, which was in its 33rd year, has in recent years been trying to promote itself as a clean, family-friendly motoring festival and shed its reputation as a mecca for reckless hoons and topless women.
Festival co-owner Andy Lopez told the ABC he would consider banning any competitors caught doing burnouts on public roads.
Police this year for the second time shut off streets in Braddon, which had previously been a hotspot for hoon driving during the festival.