A man has been arrested and charged with a number of offences after allegedly leading police on a wild chase across land and water.
Officers were called to Golden Beach on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast after a suspected stolen Ford Ranger crashed into the front of a house at 5.30am on Monday.
A 28-year-old Caboolture man is accused of driving the vehicle and then allegedly fleeing towards the coast with the homeowner, Aaron Mason Smith, in pursuit.
He was able to avoid Mr Smith by jumping into the water, but was found shortly afterwards by police swimming in the nearby Pumicestone Passage.
Senior Sergeant John Van Egmond said the man was known to police and allegedly barricaded himself on a boat and “armed himself with some knives and poured petrol on himself”.
Footage of the dramatic incident showed the man shirtless and wearing an oversized life jacket as he stared down specialist police who tried to negotiate with him.
He then dramatically jumped out of the tarp-covered boat before swimming to another nearby vessel where police allege he “made threats.”
Officers pepper-sprayed the man as he hung from the edge before he surrendered to police.
A 28-year-old man has been arrested and faces a number of charges after allegedly crashing a stolen vehicle into a house before leading police on a wild shootout in a nearby bay (pictured)
Mr Mason said the initial bang sounded “like a bomb had gone off” in his home and woke him and his wife.
“I woke up and thought, ‘Oh my God, is this the end of the world?’ Something crashed into my house. I didn’t know what was happening,” she told 9News.
No one was injured in the accident, however Mr Mason’s home, which he had purchased just six months earlier, was not deemed safe to live in.
Queensland Police’s Brod Doolan praised Smith for initiating the chase as it gave officers a “very good idea” of where he was.
Police say the Ford was stolen in Wurtulla, about 8km north of Golden Beach, that same morning.
Police allege the man barricaded himself on a boat in Pumicestone Passage, south of the Sunshine Coast, before allegedly arming himself with knives and dousing himself in petrol.
The accused was taken to hospital where he was charged with 20 crimes.
The offences included four counts of entering premises and causing wilful damage, and one count each of dangerous driving, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and obstructing police.
He was not present when the matter was mentioned in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
His defence lawyer, Luke Bull, told the court his client had not applied for bail and asked for the matter to be adjourned.
His next court appearance is expected to be on August 6.
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