Lex Peirce Jr jailed for two years and nine months over ramming cop car crime spree

A member of the notorious Pettingill crime family has faced court after a six-month crime spree where he sped at 181km/h while on meth, rammed cop cars and attempted to break into a house.

Lex Peirce Jr (pictured with grandmother Kath Pettingill) faced Moorabbin court for a six-month spree ending with him ramming police cars.

The nephew of Dennis “Mr Death” Allen and two men accused of the Walsh St shootings that killed two police officers will spend nearly three years behind bars after his six month reign of crime ended when he rammed two cop cars.

Lex Peirce Jr, 44, was jailed on Wednesday in Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to a string of charges including dangerous driving, theft, drug possession, weapons possession and endangering the lives of emergency workers.

The court heard his offending spanned over a six-month period from September last year until he was arrested in Hawthorn East in February.

The Langwarrin man kicked off his crime spree wave when cops busted him driving dangerously and under the influence all while using his mobile phone in September.

The court heard air wing officers saw him overtaking a car at 160 km/h, “barely avoiding a head-on collision”.

Lex Peirce Jr (pictured with matriarch Kath Pettingill) was jailed on Wednesday. Picture: Facebook

In October, he was clocked driving 181km/h in a 100km/h in a stolen car at Carrum Downs, leading to a high speed police chase.

The pursuit ended in Mordialloc, where Peirce Jr exited the vehicle and attempted to break into a neighbouring home while his co-accused rammed one of the cop cars in an attempt to get away.

A police sting on his home in February this year turned up numerous drugs — including 1,4 Butanediol and meth — as well as a slingshot, a tomahawk and more.

In late February cops saw Peirce Jr at a Toorak Rd 7-Eleven in Hawthorn East, where they identified stolen plates on his car.

Peirce Jr is the nephew of Victor George Peirce (pictured), who was charged over the Walsh St killings.

In an attempt to escape arrest, Peirce Jr rammed two police cars, mounted the footpath and attempted to drive through metal bollards.

He was arrested at the scene, where cops found a pick axe, a baseball bat and meth.

In court on Wednesday, Magistrate Luisa Bazzani said she was in “wonderment” about how the 44-year-old “escaped” a driving potentially causing death charge.

“He is a danger to the community … it does call for a very significant imprisonment,” she said.

Ms Bazzani sentenced Peirce Jr was jailed for two years and nine months behind bars with 42 days already served.

She also disqualified Peirce Jr from driving for five years saying he “should not be behind the wheel” and also ordered him to pay a $3000 fine.

Peirce Jr’s uncles include mass-killer Dennis “Mr Death” Allen, jailed drug dealer Peter Allen and gangland murder victim Victor Peirce, who, alongside another brother, Trevor Pettingill, was acquitted of the Walsh St police murders of 1988.

The Walsh St murders saw two young police officers — Steve Tynan and Damian Eyre — killed after they were ambushed in South Yarra.

Peirce Jr is also the grandson of the crime family matriarch Kath Pettingill.

The Pettingill family inspired the 2010 film Animal Kingdom.