Police chase on Bruce Highway after car hijacked at gunpoint

Dramatic end to a high-speed car chase in North Brisbane

Advertisement

x

POLICE say two armed men car-jacked three vehicles, including one carrying a small child, before today’s high-speed chase from Caboolture to the Gold Coast.

The men are now in police custody in NSW.

The incident began about 12pm on Aleiyah Street when the men stole a red sedan. Police arrived on the scene and one officer was injured as the two men drove off and ran over his foot.

They then dumped the red car and hijacked a second vehicle in Pumicestone Road, Caboolture, using a hand gun to stop the vehicle. A further two cars were held up at gunpoint, one with a very young child on board, at Morayfield Shopping Centre.

The men then drove erratically, and dangerously through Brisbane, Logan, and the Gold Coast with two police helicopters tracking there movement toward the Queensland/New South Wales border.

Footage from the Polair police helicopter shows an apparently armed man carjacking a vehicle. Source: Supplied

Superintendent Michael Brady said that before the chase began police had been looking for one of the offenders with a warrant for their arrest.

“The vehicle was followed by PolAir and clearly the vision shows the speed which they were doing was well in excess of the speed limit,” he said.

PolAir was able to track the car driving erratically through suburbs south of Brisbane, before making its way onto the Pacific Motorway towards the Gold Coast.

Travelling at speeds of up to 160km/h, the car zig-zagged its way through traffic.

The vehicle then crossed the border into NSW, where officers used road spikes to bring the car to a stop. Shots were fired at police during the arrest, however no one was injured.

The men will be extradited back to Queensland.

A constable from the Burpengary police station was also injured in the pursuit.

It is suspected he has suffered a broken ankle and ligament damage and is in a stable condition at the Caboolture Hospital.

The carjacked vehicle sends a van careering into a pond as it takes off the wrong way up a busy road. Pic: PoliarSource: Supplied

2.31PM: Two people have been arrested following a high-speed chase from the north of Brisbane south to the Gold Coast.

It is believed road stingers were used to end the pursuit, which allegedly reached speeds of up to 150km/h.

The incident began this morning at Caboolture and police were tracking the vehicle for more than an hour. The car is alleged to have been stolen.

Two people have been taken in to custody, with one of them believed to be on a ‘return to prison’ warrant.

2.25PM: Reports that shots have been fired from the pursued vehicle and that two people have been arrested.

2.20PM: Police have cautioned all vehicles travelling south on the Pacific Motorway to proceed with caution as a high-speed car chase continues.

They are warning people to take care between Robina and the NSW border.

2.12PM: The car has now reached Oxenford on the Pacific Motorway, travelling at speeds of up to 150km/h.

2.05PM: The car is now driving dangerously on the Pacific Motorway southbound at Pimpama, with Pol Air continuing to track it.

Meanwhile, a policeman has been transported to Caboolture Hospital this afternoon in a stable condition.

Paramedics attended to an incident on Aleiyah St, Caboolture between a car and a pedestrian at 12.20pm.

It is believed the policeman suffered leg and arm injuries, and was transported to the Caboolture Hospital.

Police have pursued this blue car from Caboolture south through Brisbane and onto the M1. PIC: Channel 7 Source:Supplied

1.56PM: The vehicle is now reportedly on the M1 at Loganlea. Police say it is being driven very dangerously.

1.55PM: POLAIR is now pursuing the vehicle on Rochedale Rd in Brisbane’s south.

The car is continuing to drive dangerously and motorists are warned to drive carefully.

The original incident is believed to have started on Waterview Cr, Caboolture where the car was reportedly held up at gun point.

UPDATE 1.51pm: Two police helicopters are now pursuing the stolen car southbound on Logan Road.

Drivers in the area have been warned to take car.

POLICE are pursuing a car on the Bruce Highway after it was believed to have been hijacked at gunpoint this morning.

PolAir tracked a car north following an incident in the Caboolture area.

After heading north and then back through Caboolture, Narangba and Deception Bay, the car then headed south on the Bruce Highway. A police officer is believed to have been hurt in the pursuit.

It veered onto the Gateway Motorway, heading towards the airport.

Motorists are warned to drive carefully.

Initial reports suggest an altercation occurred at 10.30am where the car was allegedly held up at gunpoint.

More to come.

Originally published as Police chopper films carjacking, chase

Read More

Taiwan TransAsia plane crashes into river

Dramatic images show the TransAsia passenger plane clipping a bridge as it plunges toward the river

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• Taiwan plane crash toll reaches 48
• Air disasters timeline

A plane carrying mostly Chinese tourists has crashed into a river in Taiwan, killing at least 31 people.

Dramatic video footage emerged showing the TransAsia Airways plane clipping a bridge as it came down shortly after take-off from a Taipei airport.

The plane, carrying 58 people, broke up as it plunged into Taipei's Keelung River. The fuselage was later salvaged by crane.

There were 15 survivors pulled from the wreckage but 12 people remain missing.

Television footage showed some passengers wading clear of the sunken wreckage and a toddler being pulled out alive by rescuers.

The dramatic moment a toddler was rescued from the wreckage of the jet

Emergency teams cut open the plane while it was in the water but were unable to reach the passengers trapped in the front section of the fuselage.

As night fell, a crane was used to lift the wreckage on to the bank. The death toll was expected to rise as rescue teams searched the fuselage and the river for the 12 missing passengers.

"At the moment, things don't look too optimistic," Wu Jun-hong, a Taipei fire department official coordinating the rescue effort told reporters.

The fuselage of the plane is hauled from the river by crane

A close up of the upside down plane reveals the damage of the impact and rescue operation

Rescuers finally gain entry to the previously submerged part of the plane

The ATR-72 turbo-prop plane had just taken off from Taipei Songshan Airport and was heading to the Kinmen islands, just off the coast of the south-eastern Chinese city of Xiamen.

It is the second TransAsia ATR-72 to crash in seven months, following an accident last July which killed 48 people and injured 15.

The final communication from the pilots to air traffic control was "Mayday, mayday, engine flame out", according to a recording played on local media. The recording was not immediately verified by aviation officials.

Analysis: Richard Westcott, BBC transport correspondent

Yet again, we are looking at shocking pictures of a plane crash. You'd be forgiven for thinking that flying is getting more dangerous, but it's not. In fact, when you look at the number of crashes and fatalities compared to the huge number of people flying today, we are in a golden era of aircraft safety.

According to safety analysts Ascend, 2014 was narrowly the safest year ever, with one fatal accident per 2.38 million flights, compared to every 1.91 million flights in 2013. That does not include the loss of the Malaysian airliner over Ukraine, where 298 people died, which they count as a war loss rather than an accident.

Nearly a thousand people died in 2014, which is 700 more than the year before. Horrible numbers but compare that to the worst year, 1972, when 2,370 passengers were killed. There was far less flying then, maybe a quarter of what there is today.

Nothing is ever without risk, but the chances of dying in an aircraft "accident" are lower than ever.

Flight controllers lost contact with the plane at 10:55 local time (02:55 GMT).

Footage of the plane filmed from inside passing cars showed it banking sharply, hitting a taxi and clipping the bridge before crashing into the river.

"I saw a taxi, probably just metres ahead of me, being hit by one wing of the plane," an eyewitness told local media.

"The plane was huge and really close to me. I'm still trembling."

The BBC's Cindy Sui: says there are still people trapped on the plane

TV footage showed rescuers standing on the tail section of the broken wreckage trying to pull passengers out of the plane with ropes.

One Taiwanese father told reporters he managed to rescue his wife before noticing his two-year-old son was still trapped underwater. The boy was later rescued but is believed to be in critical condition.

The majority of the plane, including the front section of the fuselage and the wings, was submerged after it plunged into the Keelung River.

Jaime Molloy, an English teacher who has lived in Taipei for three-and-a-half years and works near the scene of the crash, told the BBC: "The most disturbing scenes I saw were the debris, which included carry-on luggage and personal affects, as well as parts of the plane."

TransAsia said it had contacted relatives of all the 22 Taiwanese passengers on board and was attempting to reach relatives of the Chinese nationals.

Among the 15 injured, there were 11 from Taiwan, three from China and one member of the crew. The airline said that one injured passenger had already been discharged from hospital.

The military is helping in the rescue effort

An injured passenger is escorted up the river bank by one of the rescue workers

The BBC's Cindy Sui in Taipei says the Chinese tourists could have been on their way home as many people come to Taiwan through Kinmen island.

TransAsia chief Chen Xinde offered a "deep apology" in a televised news conference, but said his planes had been "under thorough scrutiny" since mid-2014.

"Both our planes and our flight safety system are following strict regulations, so we also want to know what caused the new plane model to crash, but I don't want to speculate," he said.

The plane's flight data recorders, also known as black boxes, have been recovered.

Did you witness the incident? Where you near the scene at the time? You can share your thoughts by emailinghaveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you would be happy to speak further to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number.

If you have any pictures or video of the event you want to share with BBC News, please upload them here.

Or comment using the form below.

Have your say

Read More

29 Superhero Movies Through 2020: A Breakdown of What's Coming

A version of this story first appeared in the Oct. 31 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
Taking a page from the Marvel Studios playbook, Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara unveiled a 10-movie slate of superhero movies Oct. 15 (in addition to $200 million in studio cost cuts) as he sought to reassure nervous investors. "DC will be a key engine for growth across all Warner Bros.," he told analysts. But between Warners' DC-based movies, Disney's Marvel, Fox and Sony (which both hold licenses to key Marvel properties), nearly 30 hero pics are planned through 2020. Is the movie universe big enough for them all? 

See more New Generation of Superheroes

THE CRUSH

Marvel completes Phase 2 of its master plan next year with Avengers: The Age of Ultron and will introduce Paul Rudd as Ant-Man. Then in 2016, the supercrush starts with seven or eight comics adaptations each year, including Marvel-licensed Sony Spider-Man spinoffs such as The Sinister Six and Fox's X-Men: Apocalypse. (And, adding to the competition, Disney launches the first of an ongoing series of Star Wars movies with Star Wars: Episode VII.) Marvel was first to claim the lucrative first weekend in May from 2016 through 2019, forcing Warners to shift Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice to March 25, followed by Suicide Squad (which is seeking top stars) on Aug. 5. The success of Guardians of the Galaxy ($733 million worldwide), released in August, proved the right superheroics can overcome less-than-prime release dates.

See more Hollywood's 100 Favorite Films

"2016 is really crowded, but then you look at 2017 and who knows if those movies even end up getting made," says one rival distributor. "It's like a game of darts. Warners has had to date around Marvel. Marvel can claim dates like the beginning of May because they have had huge success, and I wouldn't want to challenge that." Still, even if it becomes a challenge for the multiplex to absorb so many movies, analysts give Warners props for finally committing to a full slate of DC-derived films. "Warners is looking to create new growth engines and monetize them, similar to what Disney has done," says Janney Montgomery Scott's Tony Wible. "Time Warner has the I.P., so it makes sense for them to do it. At the same time, there is risk, because it's a very crowded slate." Comments BTIG's Rich Greenfield, "Look at the way Disney executed its Iron Man, Captain America, Avengers movies. Whether Warners will be able to do that, time will tell. A lot is riding on the Batman v. Superman movie. They've had a successful Batman franchise, but they have to relaunch a multicharacter movie to establish characters like Wonder Woman. You can't talk about how the next 10 movies will do until we see how successful Batman v. Supermanis."

THE CREATORS

While Marvel's Kevin Feige exerts an iron grip over his universe, more hands stir the pot of DC movies. Warners production president Greg Silverman guides the slate, with executive vp production Jon Berg as point person. Input is also provided from DC Entertainment chief creative officer Geoff Johns (who also busy with the DC-derived TV series like the newly debuted The Flash) and DC president Diane Nelson. And Zack Snyder, having directed Man of Steel, is a force as well, working with his own writers as he helms Batman v. Superman and the two Justice League movies to follow. Warners also is opting for strong directors, tapping David Ayer (Fury) for Suicide Squad and seeking a female helmer for Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman.

See more Iron Man on Screen: From '60s Cartoon Star to 'Avengers' Blockbuster

THE CASTS

Marvel has made offbeat casting choices. like paging Rudd for Ant-Man, but it generally sticks with stars. DC isn't star-averse, chasing Will Smith and Tom Hardy for Suicide Squad. But it also is betting on unknowns such as Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) to headline The Flash,Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) for Aquaman and young stage actor Ray Fisher, who never has appeared on film, for Cyborg. The actors will first be introduced in the early films in the series — Fisher, for instance, is signed for four films — before they are each asked to shoulder an entire movie themselves, so Warners hopes that will help to transform them into stars. Wible, though, doesn't see that as one of the riskier elements of the overall strategy, noting that Chris Hemsworth had only had a small part in 2009's Star Trek before he was given the title role in Thor. "You don't really have to have stars to pull big numbers," he says. "It's all about the story and everything coming together to make a good movie."

In the meantime, Warners is getting credit for bringing some welcome diversity to the superhero universe. Miller, who has identified as "queer," would become the first openly gay actor to head up a superhero franchise — although Ian McKellen certainly paved the way with his contributions to the X-Men movies. Momoa is a native Hawaiian. And Fisher will be playing the first black superhero to anchor a studio film. Plus, while Marvel has yet to commit to a movie built aroundScarlett Johansson's Black Widow, Warners has promised Gadot a solo turn of her own in 2017'sWonder Woman.

See more Watch the Official 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Trailer 

And if one or two of those projects do fail to jell, Warners can always turn to its two stalwarts, Batman and Superman, for whom, it said, it's also developing future stand-alone movies it has yet to reveal. 

THE DATES

2015

Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1)

Director: Joss Whedon

Marvel

Ant-Man (July 17)

Director: Peyton Reed 

Marvel

The Fantastic Four (Aug. 7)

Director: Josh Trank

Fox

2016

Deadpool (Feb. 12)

Director: Tim Miller

Fox

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Mar. 25)

Director: Zack Snyder

DC

Captain America 3 (May 6)

Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Marvel

X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27)

Director: Bryan Singer

Fox

Marvel Untitled (July 8)

Suicide Squad (Aug. 5)

Director: David Ayer

DC

The Sinister Six (Nov. 11)

Director: Drew Goddard

Sony

2017

Untitled Wolverine (March 3)

Fox

Marvel Untitled (May 5)

Wonder Woman (June 23)

DC

The Fantastic Four 2 (July 14, Fox)

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (July 28)

Director: James Gunn

Marvel

Marvel Untitled (Nov. 3)

Justice League, Part One (Nov. 17)

Director: Zack Snyder

DC

2018

The Flash (Mar. 23)

DC

Marvel Untitled (May 4)

Marvel Untitled (July 6)

Untitled Fox Marvel (July 13)

Aquaman (July 27)

DC

Marvel Untitled (Nov. 2)

Untitled Spider-Man 3 (Date TBA)

Sony

2019

Shazam (April 5)

DC

Marvel Untitled (May 3)

Justice League, Part Two (June 14)

Director: Zack Snyder

DC

2020 

Cyborg (Apr. 3)

DC

Green Lantern (June 19)

Read More