A dramatic seven-hour police pursuit across the Hunter region ended with a man’s arrest in Mendooran today, after officers fired shots at a vehicle that struck an officer.
The chase began around 1 AM when Hunter Valley Highway Patrol attempted to stop a station wagon in Denman in connection to an earlier incident. The driver refused to pull over, leading police on a high-speed pursuit reaching 170 km/h. The chase continued for nearly two hours before the vehicle stopped on Robertson Road, Mudgee, around 2:20 AM.
As officers from Hunter Valley and Orana Mid-Western Police Districts approached, the driver allegedly drove towards them, striking an officer. In response, police fired multiple shots at the vehicle, but the driver managed to escape along the Castlereagh Highway.
Hours later, police located the abandoned hire car in Lewis Lane, Dunedoo, around 6 AM.
This pursuit followed an earlier police response at 6 PM Wednesday, when officers were called to a Cessnock motel on Cumberland Street over concerns for a guest. While no one was found at the scene, police established a crime scene and launched an investigation, linking the case to the pursuit.
By 11:30 AM, Orana Mid-Western officers arrested a 30-year-old man in Mendooran, alleged to be the driver. He was taken to Dubbo Hospital under police guard for injuries believed to have been sustained in the Cessnock incident.
The officer struck by the vehicle remained on duty without requiring medical treatment.
Investigations are ongoing.