Operation Toric, Kynan John Mittl: man in court over ‘inexplicable’ police pursuit

A man who recently finished a suspended sentence was back in court after an “inexplicable” police pursuit. Find out what happened.

Kynan John Mittl has been denied bail at the ACT Magistrates Court following a police pursuit. Pictured, the crash scene after his arrest in Canberra on october 13 2022. Picture: ACT Policing

A man who recently finished a suspended sentence has landed himself back in court after an “inexplicable” police pursuit which allegedly ended with him crashing his ute into a power pole.

Kynan John Mittl, 28, was charged with furious driving; failing to stop for police; driving an unregistered vehicle; driving an uninsured vehicle and driving while disqualified.

A statement from ACT Policing said Mr Mittl was arrested by officers attached to Operation Toric on Thursday night.

Police allege at 11.05pm officers found Mr Mittl sitting in a white Holden ute without registration plates parked with its engine running at Companion crescent, Flynn in Canberra’s west.

The statement alleges police attempted to speak with Mittl, but he drove away turning onto Kingsford Smith Drive.

Police allege a pursuit began as they followed the ute onto Verbrugghen St and Copland Dr, Melba and later continued the pursuit onto Fuhrman St, in Spence.

The statement alleges Mittl began to drive at police, forcing officers to use a tyre deflation device to stop the ute.

Despite police deflating his tyres, Mittl allegedly continued to drive the ute onto Owen Dixon Drive, where he travelled south at high speed on the wrong side of the road.

Kynan John Mittl has been denied bail at the ACT Magistrates Court following a police pursuit. Pictured: the crash scene after his arrest in Canberra on October 13 2022. Picture: ACT Policing

Police allege the pursuit only stopped once Mittl lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a power pole.

When he appeared at the ACT Magistrates court on Friday Mittl’s lawyer made an ultimately unsuccessful bid for bail.

No pleas were entered.

She told the court her client was struggling with an addiction to heroin, and said he had successfully finished a previous suspended sentence.

“Only just,” Magistrate Louise Taylor remarked, noting the suspended sentence had ended in September.

The lawyer told the court Mr Mittl being back before the court was a “wake up call”.

Mittl was seen via audio visual link holding his head in his hands as Ms Taylor detailed his actions where she described his “inexplicable” actions.

“(you had) a desperate desire to evade police detection,” she said.

“You call this a wake up call?

“Apparently a suspended sentence is not a wake up call.

“Hopefully being remanded in custody is a wakeup call.”

Mr Mittl will return to court later this month.