Mitchell Brooks jailed after ramming cop car in dangerous Illawarra pursuit

An Illawarra dad has been jailed after he rammed a cop car during a dangerous high speed pursuit.

An Illawarra dad who rammed a police car several times and initiated a dangerous, high-speed chase during peak hour traffic has been jailed for at least two years.

Mitchell Brooks, 29, faced Wollongong Local Court on December 18, where he was sentenced to three years six months jail, with a non-parole period of two years four months by Magistrate Michael Stoddart following the dangerous pursuit.

“It’s amazing you or others were not seriously injured,” Magistrate Stoddart said. “You were on parole.”

The pursuit started on Flinders Street in Wollongong. Picture: Madeline Crittenden

In documents tendered to the court, it was revealed Brooks and two other people came under the notice of police, after an off-duty cop spotted a Black Holden Commodore with altered number plates driving through Towradgi around 2.40pm on January 30.

The court heard the number plates had been obviously altered with black texta, prompting the officer to follow the vehicle to a car wash on Campbell Street, Wollongong.

The off-duty officer alerted police, who rushed to the car wash, after allegedly discovering both the Commodore and the altered plates had been reported as stolen.

Police parked directly behind the vehicle, where Brooks, who was in the driver’s seat, rammed into the police vehicle six times in an attempt to escape.

After shunting the vehicle from it’s position, Brooks “launched” across a concrete barrier on Campbell Street, before colliding with a Nissan Navara, and again into the Highway Patrol vehicle at the Flinders Street roundabout.

Police pursued the vehicle down Flinders Street, where Brooks took off in a “dangerous manner”, reaching speeds of 90 km/h in a 50 zone.

The damaged cop car. Picture: Madeline Crittenden

Police stopped the pursuit a short time later, due to Brooks’ manner of driving, which caused two other vehicles to collide head on.

Polair and the dog squad became involved shortly after, finding the Holden Commodore dumped at Woonona Beach carpark.

Brooks was arrested some distance away hiding in a drain on Franklin Ave.

He was charged with drive motor vehicle while disqualified, use of offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention, take and drive in conveyance without permission of owner, use vehicle displaying misleading number plate and police pursuit, to which he pleaded guilty.

During his sentencing on Friday, Brooks’ lawyer told the court the 29-year-old was “missing out on large parts of his kids life as they grow up”.

Magistrate Stoddart however said Brooks didn’t think of other road users on the day of the incident.

“You couldn’t care less,” he said, “You just wanted to get away.”

Magistrate Stoddart ordered the sentence, which also included drugs and a weapons charge, start from July this year. He also ordered Brooks pay $40,000 in compensation for damage cause in the pursuit.