A 30-year-old man who tried to escape court custody was recaptured within minutes by a Devonport police officer with the assistance of members of the public yesterday.

He has been charged with Escape and has been remanded in custody to reappear on 4 November, 2015.

The man, who was appearing on breach of suspended sentence fled out the front entrance of the Devonport Magistrate’s Court at about 4.40pm.

A police constable attempted to stop him and gave chase down Oldaker St. The offender got into a white car on Formby Rd between Oldaker and Best streets.

The white car was occupied by a man and a woman.

Two members of the public, a husband and wife, saw the foot chase and offered assistance to the police officer. They manoeuvred their car to block the path of the white car.

The officer had called for urgent police assistance and upon arrival of the additional officers the incident was immediately resolved.

The passenger in the white car, a woman aged 34, was also arrested. She was charged with obstructing police.

The driver of the white car had not attempted to drive with the offender inside and was not arrested or charged.

The offender’s escape attempt and his access to the white car were both deemed to have been opportunistic and not pre-planned.

Acting Western District Commander Tim Dooley said:

“The two members of the public gave exceptional assistance to the officer and I would like to thank them for their actions.

“Without their help this incident would not have been resolved so quickly.

“I also commend the constable for her quick thinking and persistence in bringing the incident to such a swift close,” he said.