Police impound 233km/h speeding car after helicopter chase

A 23-year-old Victorian man has lost his licence and had his vehicle impounded after police detected him driving at more than 200km/h, and then called in the air wing who followed the offender with a helicopter.

According to Victoria Police, officers spotted the Mercedes-Benz X-Class ute driving erratically in Melbourne’s west at 7:30pm Thursday night, before a police helicopter was deployed to track the offender from a safe distance.

Victoria Police allege the vehicle was busted at 233km/h on the Princes Freeway, before exiting the freeway and travelling for a short time in oncoming lanes, and then driving back towards the city.

Tyre-deflating “stop sticks” were deployed in Point Cook, after which the car came to a halt in a dead-end street that led to a car park, and the driver was arrested.

The driver, from the Melbourne suburb of Greenvale, had his licence suspended, and was charged with a number of offences including conduct endangering life, speeding, dangerous driving, and evading police.

It wasn’t the only hoon vehicle to end up on a tow truck overnight, with highway patrol officers impounding a Holden VL Commodore Turbo after allegedly witnessing the sedan “performing fishtail manoeuvres” while the headlights were switched off.

Police had the car impounded at a cost of $969 to the driver, and the 21-year-old Endeavour Hills man is expected to be charged on summons, says Victoria Police.

In the early hours of Friday morning, the Air Wing observed a Holden VF Commodore wagon allegedly travelling at speeds of up to 200km/h on the Monash Freeway.

After being intercepted in Glen Waverley, the vehicle was impounded at a cost of $878 to the probationary driver, with a 20-year-old Narre Warren South man expected to be charged on summons.

Victoria Police are currently targeting dangerous driving with Operation Scoreboard, which began at 12:01am on Wednesday 21 September and will conclude at 11:59pm on Sunday 25 September.