A pair who police say led them on a bizarre chase which included allegedly crashing into a house, throwing drugs and cash onto rooftops, a home invasion and three stolen cars, ended on Tuesday night with their arrest in a Braddon hotel.
At the time of the arrest, the man - Brent Ian Guerin - a 35-year-old of no fixed address, was allegedly found in possession of about $8900 in cash, about 8.6 grams of heroin and approximately 25 grams of methamphetamine. Guerin was in the company of a 33-year-old woman from Mawson, Casey-Lee Pricsina.
A green Holden Commodore, suspected to be stolen and used by the pair, was also seized at Braddon for forensic analysis.
The hunt for Guerin and Pricsina began about 8pm on Wednesday, April 3, when a stolen Mercedes GLC63 worth around $180,000 had crashed into a house in Crace. No-one was injured in the incident but the front of the house was badly damaged.
A man and a woman had been seen fleeing the vehicle immediately after the crash.
Residents from Crace who had seen the crash chased the pair and recorded on their mobile phones as Guerin allegedly threw bags - one containing about $10,000 in cash, drugs, a Taser and some personal items - onto rooftops in the suburb as they ran away.
Police say the pair hid in the northern Canberra suburb until around 9pm, when Guerin allegedly entered the kitchen of a home in Cocopara Crescent in Crace, confronted a resident and demanded car keys and a phone.
He then stole an orange Ford Fiesta from the home and police saw it driving at high speed through the intersection of Barton Highway and Gundaroo Drive a short time later.
Having identified the pair, police then systematically began searching for them, locating the abandoned stolen orange Fiesta on Flynn on Thursday night, April 4.
After extensive inquiries, police members attached to Operation Toric (Targeting of Recidivist Offenders in Canberra) tracked Guerin and Pircsina to the Braddon hotel and made the arrest.
Guerin has been charged with multiple offences including two counts of driving a stolen motor vehicle, two counts of dangerous driving, two counts of damage property, trafficking in an illicit substance, burglary, theft, taking motor vehicle without consent, driving while disqualified, possessing an offensive weapon, and resisting a territory official.
He was refused bail in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
Pricsina was charged with riding in a stolen motor vehicle and was released on bail to appear at a later date.
