Man caught street racing with toddler in car

Two drivers have been caught street racing in Coombs last Sunday, including one man who had a child in the vehicle at the time.

About 9:30pm (8 September 2024) ACT Road Policing were patrolling in Coombs when officers observed two vehicles racing along Cotter Road.

A blue Volkswagen Golf and a black Nissan Skyline were weaving in and out of traffic before continuing along John Gorton Drive.

When police stopped the driver of the blue Volkswagen, they discovered the 35-year-old man from Denman Prospect had his 3-year-old daughter in the backseat.

Police seized his vehicle, and he will face court at a later date for aggravated racing.

This is the second speeding incident along Cotter Road and John Gorton Drive in a week, in which two separate drivers were detected travelling more than 45km/h over the speed limit, resulting in having their licences immediately suspended.

Officer in Charge of Road Policing Detective Inspector Mark Steel said ACT Policing will not tolerate unsafe driving behaviours, or people who want to turn public roads into their own racetrack.

“This kind of behaviour is incredibly dangerous, and not only puts the lives of those reckless drivers at risk, but that of other road users as well,” Detective Inspector Steel said.

“I encourage anyone who witnesses hoon driving or dangerous driving in the community to report that activity to police.”

Police are also seeking information about the driver of the Nissan Skyline and ask anyone with dashcam of the incident on Sunday evening to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers ACT website. Please quote 7845915. Information can be provided anonymously.