Police Operation – Launceston

About 7:10 am this morning Launceston Police responded to reports of a “home invasion” at a Riverside address.  Police were also advised that a firearm was possibly in the possession of the alleged offenders.

When police arrived at the address, the alleged offenders had left the scene with a stolen motorcycle and a stolen motor vehicle.  Police subsequently recovered the motorcycle and conducted enquiries to locate the alleged offenders and the stolen motor vehicle.

The vehicle was sighted on a number of occasions but police were unable to intercept the vehicle.

About 9.10 am police located the vehicle at Pipers River Road travelling towards Launceston.  Road spikes were deployed on Lilydale Road at Rocherlea and the vehicle was partially disabled.

There were two occupants in the vehicle, which continued towards Launceston, losing its front left tyre on the Northern Outlet near the Australian Maritime College.  It was being driven in a dangerous manner, but at moderate speeds, and police continued to follow the vehicle through the edge of the CBD, into Newstead and Norwood.

At the roundabout at the eastern end of Quarantine Road, the stolen vehicle collided with a police vehicle. The stolen vehicle sustained damage but avoided the road block at that location.

The vehicle continued to be driven in a dangerous manner and the tyres were again spiked, on Hobart Road.  A short distance along the road, Police were able to block the stolen vehicle into the side of the road and the two occupants of the vehicle were taken into custody.

Two police vehicles sustained moderate damage as a result of this incident but no person was injured during the incident.

The driver of the stolen motor vehicle has been subjected to an oral fluid test which returned a positive reading, and he has been taken to hospital for a blood sample to be obtained.

Enquiries are continuing into this incident and it is unlikely that formal charges will be laid for some time.

Police would like to thank members of the community for the very positive response to their actions, particularly in Kings Meadows where the alleged offenders were taken into custody.