A Sydney woman wanted by police allegedly swerved her SUV at officers and then crashed into three parked cars before fleeing on foot, with the entire sequence captured on CCTV.
Officers went to a unit block on Clovelly Road in Coogee shortly before 10pm on Saturday to speak with Kailee Murphy, 32, who was wanted on multiple arrest warrants. Police allege she got into a Holden SUV and swerved toward officers as they tried to block the road, then sped away.
Moments later, footage from a nearby petrol station recorded a loud bang as Murphy allegedly hit three parked cars. Car alarms blared as she sprinted from the scene past bystanders. Several vehicles were damaged in the incident.
Resident Emma Brosnan told Nine News there was smoke everywhere and she estimated about 20 police cars responded. Another resident said she heard the loudest crash of her life followed immediately by five sirens.
Inspector Chris Louis told reporters that officers had to take evasive action when Murphy sped off, calling the incident very serious. The crash triggered a search involving police dogs and door-to-door inquiries through the night.
Murphy remained at large until Sunday afternoon, when police spotted her in a phone box in nearby Matraville. A brief foot pursuit ended with her apprehension, Insp Louis said.
Murphy was already wanted on warrants connected to alleged break and enter offences, theft charges, and a parole breach. She was assessed at Prince of Wales Hospital before being taken into custody and charged with entering enclosed land without lawful excuse, using an offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention, and failing to give particulars to the owner of damaged property. She was refused bail to appear in the Bail Division Local Court on Monday.
