By Luke Voogt
A Corio man has allegedly run a red light at about 120km/h before ploughing into the front fence of a Talona Cres home.
Traffic police observed a white Mazda 2 run a red light at the intersection of Princess Hwy and School Rd about 10am this morning, Corio Sergeant Mark Gray said.
The car was travelling at about 120km/h in the 80km/h zone, he said.
“(The driver’s actions were) obviously stupid, reckless and put a lot of people in danger.”
Police attempted intercept the car due to “the risk to the community” but the driver refused to pull over and sped off, Sgt Gray said.
Police pursued the car through residential Corio along Hendy St and Talona Cres for four minutes before the driver “misjudged his driving skills”, he said.
After the driver lost control, the car mounted a curb, hit a water metre and ploughed into a fence at about 50km/h, Sgt Gray said.
“It’s something they wouldn’t expect – a person parked in their front yard.”
Police sustained minor injuries as they arrested the 26-year-old man from Corio at the scene, Sgt Gray said.
The man was recovering from a knee injury at University Hospital Geelong under police guard and would face questioning that afternoon, he said.
The man would likely face serious charges for traffic and other offences, Sgt Gray said as the Indy went to press this afternoon.
Drugs or alcohol could be a factor, with police awaiting the results of blood tests, he added.
The man was lucky not to have collided with either of the two homes or hit locals going about their daily business, Sgt Gray said.
“There were women and children walking in those streets and there’s a park just across the road in Talona Cres.”
If the man had pulled over when police attempted to intercept him, he would have faced less severe punishment and avoided needlessly damaging property, Sgt Gray said.
“He’s made a bad decision and now he will have to deal with the consequences.”
