An alleged car thief who fled from police was one of 10 people arrested during a major overnight operation in Ballarat.
Operation Talon saw local police team up with specialist units including the Air Wing and Dog Squad to target car thefts and high-risk driving while the community sleeps.
They first spotted the alleged car thief driving erratically in the Sebastopol area about 11.20pm on 18 July.
Officers attempted to intercept the car, a white Subaru, however the driver allegedly failed to stop and took off at speed.
The Air Wing tracked the vehicle from above before officers on the ground deployed stop sticks in Wendouree.
The car came to a stop on Park Street before two occupants allegedly took off on foot.
One jumped over several property fences but was swiftly arrested by police.
The pair, aged 22 from Sebastopol and 18 from Ballarat North, were later charged with a string of car theft and traffic offences.
Shortly before, officers were patrolling along Learmonth Street in Alfredton when they observed a black Ford Falcon with no registrations plates allegedly perform a burnout at the intersection of Latrobe Street about 10.25pm.
Police attempted to intercept the driver however they allegedly failed to stop and took off, reaching speeds of 120km/h.
The Air Wing followed the car from above and guided officers on the ground to Winter Valley where two occupants allegedly got out of the vehicle and hid outside a nearby house.
The alleged driver, a 20-year-old Mt Wallace man, was arrested and later charged with dangerous driving while being pursued by police, driving vehicle in a manner dangerous, careless driving, driving unregistered motor vehicle and failing to stop on police direction.
His passenger, aged 21 from Mt Egerton, was arrested and charged with possessing cocaine and resisting arrest.
The four men were among 10 people arrested during the four-night operation.
In total, police recovered 11 stolen cars, impounded two vehicles for traffic offences and conducted eight bail compliance checks.
Operation Talon ran overnight between 15 – 18 July.
It will continue to run in the Ballarat area with the Divisional Crime investigation Team (DCIT), Highway Patrol, and local detectives teaming up to target volume crime.
Quotes attributable to Ballarat Divisional Response Unit Detective Senior Sergeant Elissa Smith:
“This operation complements the work local police are doing 24-hours a day to catch car thieves in Ballarat.
“We are making in-roads, with around 120 car thieves arrested and some 400 stolen cars recovered since the DCIT launched earlier this year.
“Having a dedicated Air Wing presence above gives us greater visibility to track stolen cars and safely remove them from the roads.
“This important work will continue so those choosing to travel around in stolen cars should know you will be caught, and you will be held to account.”
