Police on Saturday afternoon responded to a welfare check for a 36-year-old driver in Belmore, south-west Sydney. The driver, who had two children in the car, allegedly refused to stop, initiating a police pursuit across western Sydney.
The pursuit continued into Auburn before being terminated by police due to the driver's manner of driving. The man reportedly drove on the wrong side of the M4 Motorway and collided with an oncoming vehicle.
Following the collision, the man allegedly attempted to steal a car occupied by a 25-year-old man, leading to a physical altercation. The Good Samaritan sustained a stab wound during the incident. Bystanders witnessed the altercation and attempted to intervene.
Footage from the scene shows the man, allegedly holding an item believed to be a knife, separating one child from a bystander who had attempted to help. The man then retrieved the child while brandishing the alleged weapon before backing away.
He then placed the two children into a stranger's vehicle, where a woman was in the driver's seat. The man entered the passenger seat, and the woman began to drive away. The vehicle momentarily stopped, during which the driver's door opened, and the woman fell out of the car. The vehicle then sped away, reportedly with the man at the wheel.
The car traveled westbound along the M4 Motorway before stopping on the Cumberland Highway in Wentworthville. An off-duty police officer arrested the man, who was taken to the hospital under police guard.
The two children were transported to Westmead Children's Hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries.
