A Swan View woman has described the heart-stopping moment a stranger forced his way into her home and stole her car, triggering a dramatic police pursuit across Perth's northern suburbs.
A Terrifying Home Invasion
Summit Grove resident Pauline Gordon was at home when she discovered a man desperately trying to pull open her security door. "There was this man right against the security door and he was just pulling and pulling," Ms Gordon told 7News. Fearing for her safety, she immediately fled to a neighbour's house to call police.
"I just ran over the road to my neighbour and said call the police someone’s trying to get in... and while we were on the phone to police he came round the side, got in my car and took off," she recounted. "I was shaking. It was very scary."
A Dangerous Police Pursuit
The stolen Mazda CX3 was then allegedly driven recklessly by the 39-year-old accused. Police pursued the vehicle as the driver swerved onto the wrong side of the road, ran a red light, and mounted footpaths in a desperate attempt to escape.
Witness Maxine Osgood described a significant police response to the chaos. "I saw 10 police cars and 20 officers in the pursuit," she said. The chase finally ended on Muwsell Street in Balga on Saturday night, approximately 24 hours after the same man was allegedly spotted speeding in a black Volkswagen on Tonkin Highway. That Volkswagen was later found abandoned in bushland at Bennett Springs.
The accused allegedly attempted to flee down Beach Road but inadvertently drove into a dead end, leading to his capture. "They put him in the police car and the ambulance came," Ms Osgood said.
Multiple Charges Laid
The man now faces a total of 13 charges related to the Swan Valley incident. These include serious offences such as aggravated home burglary and reckless driving without a licence.
In a separate incident on Saturday, police are also investigating after a cyclist was apparently run down by a car in Nollamarra. The collision, captured on security video, occurred at about 1pm on the corner of Sussex Street and Nollamarra Avenue.
Witnesses reported seeing the victim holding a can of pepper spray before fleeing the scene. Fortunately, the cyclist escaped with only minor leg injuries. A Hyundai i30 was seen leaving the area shortly after. Police have asked anyone with information about this incident to contact Crime Stoppers.
