Cross-border police chase ended with driver jumping into Lake Burley Griffin
Officers from the ACT Policing tactical response group on Lake Burley Griffin. (ABC News: James Vyver)
In Short:
An alleged police chase has ended with the driver jumping into Lake Burley Griffin.
ACT Policing say it's lucky no one was injured after the car allegedly raced through a popular recreational area.
What's next?
A 38-year-old man arrested in the lake is expected to face the ACT Magistrates Court today.
A peak-hour police chase through Canberra has ended after the driver of a vehicle jumped into Lake Burley Griffin in an alleged attempt to evade arrest.
The chase began shortly before 9am on April 8, when NSW Police say they saw a black ute towing a trailer loaded with another ute in Queanbeyan.
NSW Police said they then confirmed the driver was allegedly wanted and pulled the vehicle over.
However as officers approached the vehicle, they said it drove off, narrowly missing three officers.
The pursuit was called off because of dangerous circumstances, police said.
A second pursuit, involving 10 ACT Policing vehicles, allegedly began shortly after the vehicle entered the ACT, travelling through Fyshwick, Kingston and Barton.
Police said the vehicle crossed onto the wrong side of the road multiple times and drove onto the footpath along the popular central basin loop walking route around the lake before it was halted when police used tyre-shredding spikes.
Police said the passenger of the vehicle, who remained in their seat, was assisting the police investigation. (ABC News: Mark Moore)
The vehicle's shredded tyres left scratch marks down the footpath before it stopped on the walkway behind the National Gallery of Australia, police said.
Officers from the ACT Policing tactical response group arrested the 38-year-old driver of the vehicle after he jumped into Lake Burley Griffin in an alleged attempt to evade police.
'Scarily close' to St Edmund's crash
ACT Policing detective acting inspector Jonathon Turkich said the vehicle racing down Brisbane Avenue on footpaths "put so many lives at risk".
"We're just so lucky nothing worse has happened,"he said.
ACT Policing's Jonathon Turkich said the dangerous driving could have easily injured anyone using the popular walking route. (ABC News: James Vyver)
He said the pursuit down Canberra Avenue was "scarily close" to where two St Edmund's College students were hit by a vehicle last week.
"On the back of last week's St Edmund's College job and so many instances of dangerous driving, it absolutely guts me that people are still behaving like this on our roads," he said.
"It's only through pure luck and circumstance that no one has been seriously injured.
"The focus really needs to be that this person put so many people in Canberra at risk today."
Positive drug test and weapons found
The 35-year-old passenger is led into the back of a police vehicle after the police pursuit. (ABC News: Mark Moore)
A statement from ACT Policing said the 38-year-old returned a positive result for a prescribed drug.
A search of the vehicle uncovered ammunition and a knife.
The statement said the 35-year-old passenger of the vehicle, who remained in their seat, was assisting the police investigation.
Detective Acting Inspector Turkick said that investigation was in the early stages, but it was likely the driver would be extradited to NSW.
The man is expected to face the ACT Magistrates Court today.