A fifth person has been charged over a fatal crash involving an allegedly stolen ute in Alice Springs on March 8. The 18-year-old man was allegedly a passenger in the ute when it crashed and overturned while attempting to turn off Gregory Tce onto Railway Tce about 3.40 am. He was arrested in Laramba on Wednesday.
The vehicle rolled onto an 18-year-old passenger who was hanging out the window at the time of the crash, critically injuring him. He was taken to Alice Springs Hospital where he died of his injuries.
“A young man was left to die on the road as everyone else in the stolen vehicle immediately fled without providing any assistance whatsoever,” NT Police detective senior sergeant Brendan Lindner said last month.
CCTV footage of the incident captured eight people fleeing the vehicle, which nearly two hours earlier was reported stolen as it smashed through the boom gates of a caravan park on Palm Pl at Ross.
All those allegedly involved in the incident have now been arrested. “Five adults — three 18-year-olds, two 21-year-olds — and two youths, both aged 15, have now been charged with unlawful use of (a) motor vehicle,” Linder said on Thursday.
“The adults involved were each refused bail, while two youths were bailed to appear at later dates.
“Another youth, a 17-year-old male, was dealt with under the Provisions of the Youth Justice Act 2005.
“The driver faces the additional charge of dangerous driving causing death.
“All have various court dates, with the man arrested yesterday to appear before the Alice Springs Local Court today.”
The driver of the vehicle and a passenger were initially charged after the crash. The driver was charged with dangerous driving causing death, hit-and-run causing death, and unlawful use of a motor vehicle. The passenger was charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle. Both were refused bail to appear in Alice Spring Local Court on March 18.
Police said the investigation had been difficult due to “a distinct lack of information” initially available to detectives. They urged anyone with information about the theft or crash to contact Crime Stoppers.
