A 19-year-old driver has died after fleeing police and crashing into another vehicle during a short pursuit in Sydney’s south.
The chase began after the ute driver allegedly failed to stop for a patrol officer on Alfords Point Rd in Menai about 6am on Friday.
Further up the road, the driver’s ute hit a barrier before colliding with the rear of another vehicle and coming to a halt, police said.
The man, who has not been formally identified, died at the scene while the other vehicle’s driver was not injured.
“An officer from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command was performing speed enforcement duties on the Bangor Bypass, about 6am when they detected a Holden utility travelling above the 80km/h speed limit,” NSW Police said in a statement.
The officer pulled the ute over but the vehicle drove away as they approached and a pursuit was initiated, police said.
Alfords Point Rd was closed for hours in both directions as specialist police inspected the crime scene.
Police from the Sydney City command will lead an internal investigation into the incident, which will be subject to an independent review.
It comes amid heightened attention on critical incident investigations by police after the death of a 95-year-old woman shot with a taser in an aged care home.
That officer was quickly suspended but the Greens criticised the role of police in leading the core investigation.
The police watchdog in May said the majority of critical incident investigations were conducted in a thorough and objective manner but some took years to resolve, delaying changes.
The watchdog also described its power to monitor officers’ interviews as “illusory” given its presence had been rejected on every occasion by the involved police officer.
Australian Associated Press