A man allegedly stole a case of beer before getting behind the wheel of a Mercedes and leading police on a drunken high-speed pursuit for 170 kilometres through southern NSW.
Police say the a man went to a grocery store at Murrumbateman in the Southern Tablelands around 6.30pm on Sunday and stole the beer, before leaving in a Mercedes C180 coupe.
Police spotted the car travelling south on the Hume Highway at Yass and signalled for the driver to pull over.
When he refused they were drawn into a pursuit that ensued for another 170km.
Police say the driver was finally arrested on a Wagga Wagga street after stopping at a nearby service station and driving off without paying for fuel.
The 55-year-old driver allegedly returned a positive roadside breath test before being taken to Wagga Wagga Police Station where a second breath analysis returned a reading of 0.040.
He has been charged with eight offences including shoplifting, driving recklessly, negligent driving, speeding, consuming alcohol while driving, dishonestly obtaining property by deception, and having an expired licence.
He was refused bail to appear in Wagga Wagga Local Court on Monday.
