Prisoner back behind bars after short-lived jail break in the ACT

A man who fled from a wrecked Corrective Services car after a woman in a Jeep allegedly rammed it in transit is back behind bars, along with the driver of the Jeep.

The damaged Corrective Services transport vehicle on Oxley Street in Griffith, ACT.

Prisoner Kane Quinn was a free man for just five hours.

But the way he escaped custody — fleeing a wrecked Corrective Services car after a woman in a Jeep allegedly rammed it on a suburban road, leaving his guards injured and dazed — was the stuff of movies.

 

The 28-year-old was a passenger in a white ACT Corrective Services Toyota Camry sedan taking him from the Alexander Maconochie Centre jail in Hume to Canberra Hospital for medical treatment on Friday afternoon.

The routine trip should have taken just 10 minutes.

But a white Jeep 4WD pulled in ­behind the Toyota on Hindmarsh Dr in suburban Canberra soon after 4pm.

Police claim that behind the wheel of the Jeep was 28-year-old Lila Rosemary Walto. They claim the car was stolen.

Walto allegedly rammed the Camry as it drove along Oxley St in Griffith.

The car as damaged in the front and the back after being rammed.

ACT Police said the Camry had to take “evasive action” when it noticed the Jeep coming up behind it.

“The transport vehicle was followed from Hindmarsh Dr, and the Corrective Services officers were taking evasive action for theirs and the detainee’s safety,” Detective Acting Inspector Shane Scott said.

“This was a brazen attack, which could have had very serious consequences for the people in both cars, and potentially other motorists.”

Witnesses saw the Jeep clip the rear of the Camry, forcing the sedan on to the median strip.

The Camry was left with its front and rear mangled.

A handcuffed Quinn, who had a rat’s tail haircut and tattooed right arm, allegedly saw his chance to escape and jumped out of the car.

He bundled into the Jeep, which sped off, leaving the prison officers to ­assess the damage to their car and themselves. They were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Less than an hour later, the Jeep was found burnt out on Nares Cres in Forrest.

The Alexander Maconochie correctional centre.

On Friday night, police negotiators surrounded a house in Lyneham, in Canberra’s northern suburbs, where Quinn and Walto were holed up inside.

Police said Quinn was found hiding inside the roof cavity about 9pm.

They arrested Quinn, Walto and another woman, and transported them to the ACT Watch House. However, only Walto and Quinn were charged.

The pair fronted ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday.

Quinn was charged with escaping custody. Walto was charged with assaulting frontline staff, dangerous driving, car theft and property damage.

The pair did not apply for bail and the case was adjourned.

Police did not reveal the relationship between Walto and Quinn.