A 20-year-old Canberra man has been refused bail after allegedly ramming and shooting at another car with a homemade gun. The incident occurred on Ginninderra Drive in Florey on May 25.
Police allege the man was driving a Ford Focus when he encountered people he knew in a Holden Cruze. He is accused of ramming the Holden multiple times before firing a gun at the vehicle. The Holden was later found in a gutter near the intersection of Ginninderra Drive and Kerrigan Street.
The man was arrested early the next morning after police stopped an Audi on the Federal Highway. Officers allegedly found a Ford key believed to belong to the vehicle involved. The Ford Focus was later located at an address in Ngunnawal with damage consistent with the incident.
In the ACT Magistrates Court, the man faced charges of discharging a firearm at a car and furious driving. His Legal Aid lawyer argued for bail, citing special circumstances: the man is the sole owner and operator of a barber shop and provides financial support to his parents. She claimed no one else could run the business if he remained in custody.
Magistrate James Stewart rejected the bail application without hearing from the prosecution, stating the man's circumstances 'don't even come close' to meeting the threshold for special or exceptional circumstances. The man was remanded in custody and is expected to return to court in June.
