A 16-year-old boy has faced the ACT Children's Court charged with multiple offences after he allegedly punched the driver, threatened him with a knife and carjacked a Ford Mustang coupe at Calwell on Monday.
Around 8am on Monday, police alleged the boy approached the victim, who was sitting in his blue Mustang at the Calwell shops.
An altercation ensured in which the driver was threatened with a knife and punched.
The driver handed over the keys and the teenager drove away.
About 3pm police detected the stolen car in Chisholm, where the young driver allegedly crossed to the wrong side of the road to avoid stop-sticks placed on the roadway.
Police kept hunting for the car and driver and around 3.50pm again sighted the Mustang in Richardson, where it was driven along a footpath to evade police.
A short time later the Mustang was located in a greenbelt area where it had become bogged. An attempt had been made by the offender to set the vehicle alight.
The driver was apprehended by police a short time later while attempting to climb onto the roof of a shed in Wentcher Place, Richardson.
The driver was identified as a recidivist 16-year-old offender who was subsequently charged with 12 offences including breach of bail, aggravated robbery, take motor vehicle without consent, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possession of a knife, drive motor vehicle without consent, drug driving, three counts of dangerous driving, unlicensed driving and display false number plates.
The carjacking is the second dangerous driving incident involving a recidivist offender in just two days, with 29-year-old Jackson Allred arrested on Sunday after he allegedly drove erratically around Tuggeranong, including on the wrong side of the Monaro Highway, in a silver Audi and drove at police officers in an attempt to avoid arrest.
The Allred incident prompted a call from the police association for the Attorney General to intervene and prevent what the police association described as "soft" court outcomes allowing recidivist offenders to put the police and the public at risk.
Anyone who witnessed the incident in the Calwell Shops carpark yesterday morning or the blue Mustang driving erratically during the day is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers ACT website. Please quote 7187900.
