Two alleged fugitives from police are to appear in court after a dramatic operation involving police dogs and road spikes to halt an attempted getaway.
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A 35-year-old Bonython man and a 41-year-old O'Connor woman are to appear in the ACT Magistrates Court to face 15 charges.
Their arrest happened as part of an ongoing police operation aimed at car thieves and repeat driving offenders.
Operation Toric (Targeting of Recidivism in Canberra) was started on August 1 last year and had resulted in 336 charges being laid in its first three months.
Police say the latest arrests happened after a Ford Futura station wagon was stolen in Braddon on Friday.
ACT Policing's automatic number plate recognition system detected the car with the stolen plates on Saturday.
That evening officers said they spotted the Futura being driven into a Bonython unit complex. Two officers told the driver to stop. Police allege he didn't do so and drove at the two officers.
The police then used specially designed spiked wire which punctured one of the tires.
"A short time later the Futura crashed into a gutter near the intersection of Rowland Rees Crescent and Athllon Drive, Greenway," a police statement said.
"Police received reports that three people had fled the scene. An AFP canine team located the man in the Tuggeranong Bus Interchange, where he was arrested, and taken to the ACT Watch House."
The woman later handed herself in at a police station.
ACT Policing says: "Operation Toric officers have charged the man with driving a motor vehicle without consent, unlawful possession of stolen property, use of a number plate issued to another vehicle, failing to stop, aggravated dangerous driving, and driving while disqualified.
"The man was also charged by officers from ACT Policing City Patrol with three counts of damaging property, two counts of obtaining property by deception, burglary and theft. These charges arise from offences committed in late December 2022 and early January 2023."
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The police statement continues: "The woman, who was on bail, will also face the ACT Magistrates Court today charged with riding in a vehicle without consent.
"Investigations are continuing into the whereabouts of the second passenger who fled the stolen Futura on Saturday, and police are seeking any dash-cam footage or anyone who witnessed the crash or its driving manner before it crashed.
"Anyone with such information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the website. Information can be given anonymously, please quote reference 7324636."
Operation Toric was started by the police because of concerns that a high number of car offences were being committed by people aready charged with previous ones.
In November, the taskforce's top officer, Commander Linda Champion, said the operation had been of benefit both in decreasing property crime and other crime types across the Canberra community.
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Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
