Heavily armed police have arrested a woman following a dramatic carjacking and subsequent pursuit that unfolded on one of Sydney's busiest motorways. The incident, which involved a stolen delivery van and a second vehicle, culminated in tactical officers ramming the van off the road.
Chaos on the M4: A Brazen Daylight Theft
The chain of events began on Saturday morning when police were called to the M4 at Blacktown in Sydney's west. Reports indicated a woman was attempting to exit the passenger side of a moving delivery van. Highway patrol officers quickly located the vehicle and attempted to bring it to a stop, but the driver allegedly failed to comply, initiating a brief pursuit.
Due to significant concerns for public safety, police commanders made the decision to terminate the active chase a short time later. However, the search for the vehicle and its occupants continued with the assistance of the Polair helicopter and the Tactical Operations Group.
Tactical Operation Brings Dramatic End to Chase
The situation reached its climax on James Ruse Drive at Rosehill. With the van tracked by air, armed police moved in. In a decisive manoeuvre, officers used their vehicle to ram the white van, forcing it off the road and bringing the alleged carjacking to an end.
Shocked witnesses described seeing camouflage-clad tactical officers pulling the female driver from the damaged vehicle. "We saw all the police in camouflage pulling this person out of the van," one witness told the Daily Telegraph, recounting how police yelled "get on the ground" and "you're under arrest." The van's front bonnet sustained extensive damage during the police intervention.
Charges Laid and Police Reassurance
A 48-year-old woman was arrested at the scene and taken to Granville Police Station. She was charged with a string of serious offences, including:
- Two counts of take and drive conveyance without consent of owner
- Take/detain person with intent to obtain advantage cause actual bodily harm
- Police pursuit – not stop – drive dangerously
Police will allege the woman first stole a vehicle outside Nepean Hospital in Kingswood before taking the delivery van in Oxley Park. A 30-year-old female passenger was located earlier in King Street, Parramatta; she was shaken but uninjured. The stolen van was towed for forensic examination.
The woman was refused bail and is scheduled to appear in Parramatta Local Court. In the wake of the incident, police moved quickly to assure the public that the alleged carjacking has no connection to the Bondi terror attacks which occurred the previous Sunday.
