Kia driver charged in Australia after cross-border pursuit — ABC News Australia

A 22-year-old Kia driver in Queanbeyan, Australia, has been charged after a police pursuit during which the vehicle crossed the border between New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory four times. As ABC News Australia reports, police said that a knife was allegedly found on the man after his arrest, while a large sword, gloves and balaclavas were found in the vehicle.

Pursuit across the border

According to New South Wales Police, at about 2:00 a.m. the driver failed to comply with a direction to stop in the Crestwood area, located on the New South Wales side near the border with the Australian Capital Territory. Police pursued the Kia to Canberra Avenue, after which the vehicle entered the territory of the capital, where local police joined the pursuit.

According to law enforcement authorities, the vehicle travelled through the suburbs of Tralee, Hume and Tuggeranong, and later crossed the border again at Jerrabomberra. The pursuit then continued through Jerrabomberra Heights, Karabar and central Queanbeyan. On Yass Road, police deployed road spikes near the intersection with Sutton Road.

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The vehicle stopped on Crawford Street in Queanbeyan, already in New South Wales. Police allege that the driver attempted to flee on foot, but was detained. The man was charged with aggravated failure to comply with a police direction to stop, driving while disqualified and possessing a knife in a public place.

Another pursuit that night

That same night, Australian Capital Territory Police reported a separate pursuit involving a 42-year-old driver of a silver Volkswagen Passat which, according to law enforcement authorities, had been stolen from the Lyneham area in June. Police said the vehicle was speeding through Weston Creek and Yarralumla, driving into oncoming lanes and crossing median strips.

The driver was detained in the Curtin area at about 4:30 a.m. According to police, he refused to undergo a roadside drug test. Law enforcement authorities also said that several quantities of a white crystalline substance suspected to be methamphetamine were found in the vehicle. The man faces a number of charges, including aggravated reckless driving, driving a stolen vehicle and failing to comply with a direction to stop.