A man accused of stealing a Mercedes and speeding through Canberra in a series of attempts to evade police has been denied bail in court.
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A passenger sprayed a fire extinguisher at police before escaping.
Kalonga Chanda Chifuntwe, 25, faced the ACT Magistrates Court on seven charges, including driving disqualified, failing to stop for police and obstructing a public official for his alleged role behind the wheel of the car.
Court documents said a man was sleeping in his Mercedes beside Lake Burley Griffin in Campbell when he was awoken by two men, claiming to be police, when they approached the car on Monday night.
The pair allegedly smashed the car's rear window, threatening to shoot the man if he didn't hand over his keys and pointing a knife sharpener at him.
When the man explained the car had a push-start ignition, the offenders got into the car and sped away.
Court documents said numerous patrols saw the stolen Mercedes driving in an "erratic and reckless manner" and at high speeds throughout Belconnen to escape police on Tuesday night.
Police tried to stop the car after it was spotted, bearing NSW registration plates, in a Charnwood carpark on Wednesday night.
The driver, who police will allege was Chifuntwe, sped off, narrowly missing a police officer.
About 15 minutes later, police again tried to halt the car after they saw it travelling on Ginninderra Drive, McKellar.
As a police officer drew his gun and pointed it at the two men, telling them to get out of the car, the male passenger in the car sprayed a fire extinguisher at him.
The pair then fled on foot. The passenger escaped but Chifuntwe was arrested nearby.
A search of his bumbag allegedly revealed a small amount of cannabis and a Mercedes key fob.
Court documents said a drug test returned a positive reading and was sent for analysis.
The prosecution opposed Chifuntwe's application for bail when he appeared in court before Magistrate Beth Campbell.
Ms Campbell told the court Chifuntwe's alleged offending amounted to "serious antisocial conduct" given the manner of his driving and his aggression towards police.
She noted his "substantial" criminal history, that the alleged crimes had been committed while on parole for separate matters, and that Chifuntwe's offending was likely a way of funding his drug use given he was unemployed.
Ms Campbell denied bail on grounds Chifuntwe was likely to reoffend.
The matter will return to court next month.
