Shots fired at Bondi Beach, police car allegedly rammed after high-speed chase in Sydney’s east

Residents of Sydney’s eastern suburbs woke to sounds of car chases and gunshots early on Easter Saturday after a stolen car was pursued across the city.

The police chase culminated in a collision and shots being fired opposite Bondi Beach. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

Residents of Sydney’s eastern suburbs woke to sounds of car chases and gunshots early on Easter Saturday after a stolen car was pursued across the city.

Police in Rose Bay sped after a dark-coloured Audi driving erratically at around 4am, with a pursuit along Old South Head Rd abandoned after less than two minutes due to high speeds.

The vehicle was relocated a short time later on Sir Thomas Mitchell St in nearby Bondi Beach, where the driver allegedly accelerated towards a police officer approaching on foot.

The officer fired several shots towards the vehicle, which collided with a police car before again speeding away.

At around 6.30am the car was spotted by a local resident in North Bondi and was identified by police as having been stolen from Rose Bay overnight.

Easter long weekend crowds at Bondi Beach on Friday. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

A 37-year-old man who is a person of interest in the incident was located nearby and taken to hospital for assessment.

Reassuring local residents, Detective superintendent Jodi Radmore said the driver’s actions “shouldn’t be tolerated and should be dealt with the full force of the law”.

“I don’t know what was going through that person’s mind,” she said.

Neither the person of interest nor police involved in the incident suffered any injuries, police say.

The 37-year-old is known to police and is in custody with no charges having yet been laid.

An investigation will be held into the incident, Det Supt Radmore saying “we review all matters involving police use of force”.

Police have not ruled out potential driver intoxication and are treating it as an isolated incident.