Construction workers perform citizens arrest after pursuing car thief through Melbourne streets
FIRST ON 7: Construction site workers took the law into their own hands and pursued a drug-affected car thief in Melbourne's west.
The chase ended in a crash, with the thief trapped in the wreckage of the stolen ute.
CCTV of the wild chase shows the ute on the wrong side of the road and heading for trouble. It had been stolen from a building site in Derrimut.
It was herded into a car park by workmates of the rightful owner but the car thief was seen picking up speed with his pursuers right on his tail.
Just a minute later the ute flipped over trapping the driver.
One of the men who had been chasing him sat on the door to make there would be no escape.
Nhan Nguyen said: “I was minding my own business doing my work and then I turned my head and heard this boom sound and then just see this car on it's side."
A 20-year-old man from Robinvale was arrested at the scene.
Miraculously he avoided serious injury but was taken to hospital as a precaution.
During the pursuit the ute side swiped two other vehicles before it went through a roundabout at speed and rolled three times.
The risky citizens arrest is more food for thought for police who are reviewing their policy, which all but bans pursuits.
The 20-year-old has told investigators that he was under the influence of ice and has apologised for stealing the ute.
He is likely to face charges including theft of a motor vehicle and dangerous driving.
It is not known if the men who chased him down will also face charges.
