Gunman kills woman in highway crash, shoots man, hijacks vehicles

A Porsche owner has crashed his car on Queensland’s Bruce Highway, causing a woman’s death before shooting a man and car-jacking two separate vehicles.

The horror crash scene on the Bruce Highway near Aussie World that claimed the life of a 22-year-old woman, before a man was shot in a car-jacking. Picture: Nine News

A Porsche owner has crashed his car at high speed on Queensland’s Bruce Highway, causing a woman’s death before shooting a man and car-jacking two separate vehicles in a horror series of events.

Emergency services were called just after midday on Monday when a red Porsche Macan being driven erratically crashed in the highway’s southbound lanes near the Aussie World theme park at Palmview on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

A 22-year-old woman and a man who were together in another vehicle were injured in the crash.

Police officers inspecting a crashed red Porsche on the Bruce Highway. Picture: ABC

The woman, from Upper Mount Gravatt in Brisbane’s south, was taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital by ambulance but died as a result of her injuries.

The 41-year-old male driver and owner of the Porsche allegedly exited the vehicle brandishing a firearm, shooting the driver of a white SsanYong Rexton in the arm before stealing the seven-seat SUV.

Police say he then rolled the Rexton near Forestry Road in Landsborough, before again brandishing the weapon, this time at a learner driver who was on a lesson with their parents in a Mazda 3.

Forcing the family out of their vehicle, he drove off in the Mazda before being stopped by police and arrested a short time later near Steve Irwin Way.

The firearm was retrieved from the Mazda, police said.

The shooting victim, a man in his 60s who did not know the shooter, was in a stable condition at Sunshine Coast University Hospital. Also in the hospital was the other man who was injured in the initial crash, who was aged in his 20s and suffered head and neck injuries

With the series of incidents unfolding on Easter Monday and the last day of the Queensland school holidays, the Bruce Highway was filled with commuters returning home from breaks away.

The stolen Mazda being checked by police for fingerprints. Photo: Jarrod Tutbury

Queensland Police Chief Inspector Gary Overland said it was a “tragic way to end a holiday”, with investigators still examining multiple crime scenes. “This is just terrible. It resulted in the death of a young girl,” he said.

The victims of the carjackings, including the learner driver in the Mazda, would have suffered severe psychological stress, he said.

“As you’d imagine, it would be traumatic to have a gun pointed at you but they’re uninjured, the gun was not discharged at them and they are providing statements to police,” Inspector Overland said.

Chief Inspector Gary Overland. Photo: Jarrod Tutbury

“I can’t imagine that having a firearm presented at them and being told to get out of the vehicle wouldn’t have some impact.”

Queensland police late on Monday said the Porsche had not been stolen, and the driver was the registered owner.

The alleged offender in custody, from Tewantin, was under police guard in hospital in a serious condition on Monday night.

He “will be charged with a number of serious offences in due course”.

The initial crash was also near the landmark Banana Bender pub, previously known as the Etta­mogah Pub.

Traffic backed up on the Bruce Highway on Monday afternoon. Picture: ABC

“Preliminary information indicated a red Porsche Macan had crashed at that location. A male person exited that vehicle with a firearm, produced that firearm … to another driver and obtained that person’s vehicle and drove it to another location where that subsequent vehicle was crashed,” Inspector Overland said.

“He got out of that vehicle and hijacked another vehicle allegedly using a firearm.

“Three crime scenes have been declared and a woman and a man who were involved in the initial accident were taken to hospital. Sadly, the female has passed away.”

The alleged offender “was located not far from where he’d taken (the Mazda) and was apprehended by police”, he said.

“We’ve got a firearm that was located at the third incident scene and in due course we’ll find out more about that weapon.”

Witness Damien Moore said police swooped on the offender from behind after the Mazda reached roadworks blocking one lane of Steve Irwin Way and he was unable to get away from the oncoming traffic.