Resident describes chase

A Hillman resident has told how she helped police arrest one of the juveniles allegedly involved in a high-speed chase and crime spree, which resulted in the Dixon Road bushfire last Thursday.

Janice Oldfield said she was in her backyard with a friend when she first heard police sirens blare past her home.

“I walked out the front and police came round the front and then went back the other way — next thing I hear a car come along Calume Street with a flat tyre,” she said.

Mrs Oldfield said her son spotted the vehicle across the road near a bushland fence.

“We were watching him and he looked a bit weird because he was hunched down in the seat, so I went inside to call the police because it looked suspicious,” she said.

“Next thing we know, he started up the car and reversed straight across the road and hit the gate two or three times and took of into the bush.”

Mrs Oldfield said she then saw smoke coming from the bushes and alerted the Fire Brigade about 10.30am. The fire was in an area bounded by Dixon, Darile and Lawson roads and burnt through about 12ha of bushland.

Mrs Oldfield said she spotted a second male acting suspiciously, wearing a black hooded jumper and red shorts.

“I saw him walking down behind the houses on the other side of the road and called 000.

That is when they sent the police back and caught him.”