Teens charged over alleged 200km/h M1 stolen car joy ride

Police have arrested three Gold Coast teenagers who allegedly drove at speeds of more than 200km/h on the M1.

Three teens have been charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

Police have arrested three Gold Coast teenagers who allegedly drove at speeds of more than 200km/h on the M1.

Gold Coast police acting superintendent Scott Knowles said police received several calls from concerned motorists about two vehicles travelling at “well over 200km/h” on the motorway early on Friday morning.

He said police attended a Nerang address at the weekend where they found eight teens and two allegedly stolen cars.

“A couple of them (teens) tried to flee on foot which we can certainly manage – they didn’t succeed,” he told ABC Gold Coast on Monday morning.

Supt Knowles said two boys aged 15 and one aged 14 had been charged with offences including burglary, stealing and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

They were expected to appear in Southport Children’s Court on Monday.

Supt Knowles said police chose not to pursue the teens on the motorway for fear it could cause them to drive even faster and further endanger other road users.

“The reason we don’t pursue … a lot of it is around public safety because we know when police start to pursue, the driver behaviours of those being chased becomes more erratic,” he said.

“In this day of social media with some of these young people around, it’s sometimes exactly what they’re looking for.

“Provided it’s safe enough, we’ll not pursue. There’s certain situations where we will, but in this instance we chose not to.”

Originally published as Teens charged over alleged 200km/h M1 stolen car joy ride