On a typical Friday afternoon, Canberrans going about their business last week were caught up in a bizarre escapade which observers may have mistaken as an unexpected return to the capital of Gold Coast stuntman Guy Norris and his team.
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Norris coordinated the car stunts in downtown Canberra six months ago for the Liam Neeson film Black Light but even he would have been hard-pressed to script a performance as extraordinary as this, fully played out in the public arena with other motorists ducking for safety and prison officers' lives placed squarely at risk.
A high-speed car chase down narrow streets, corrections officers unexpectedly fleeing a desperate pursuer in a stolen car, multiple rammings of one car into another, a rats-tailed, tattooed inmate leaping in handcuffs into another vehicle to escape custody, the suburban torching of the pursuit vehicle, and the fugitive finally arrested after attempting to hide in a roof cavity; this event had the lot.
Even seasoned ACT police officers who have seen plenty of strange escapes in Canberra, from lake-swimming car thieves to multi-storey building-scalers, were shaking their heads in disbelief at the extraordinary sequence of events.
Fortunately - most likely as a result of the offenders involved rapidly running out of ideas after going on the run - the incident was wrapped up rather neatly when ACT Policing found the fugitives' North Lyneham bolthole, called in its specialist tactical teams and the rats-tailed escapee, Kane Quinn, 28, wisely climbed down out the Lyneham roof cavity and surrendered.
For Lila Walto, 28, the Jeep-driving woman who extricated Quinn to enjoy a few fleeting hours of freedom, nine more charges were added this week to her original seven.
A third woman involved who had the good sense to step out of the stolen Jeep and walk away outside Manuka Oval was not charged.
Only through sheer good fortune, the three ACT Corrective Services officers involved suffered minor injuries after the incident, although vision clearly shows they were, as could be expected, shaken up.
Given the volatile nature of the incident, the high speeds of the cars involved, the inappropriate transport vehicle used and the officers' lack of equipment to defend themselves, it was a situation which very easily could have resulted in serious injury or worse.
What remains now are a raft of relevant and yet unanswered questions, avoided by both ACT Corrections Minister Mick Gentleman and his acting head of Corrections, former Assistant police Commissioner Ray Johnson, about how a breach of security allowed such an incident to occur, and why the officers were exposed to such risk.
Here are the key, unanswered questions around the incident:
How did Ms Walto find out about the prisoner transport arrangements with enough time to steal a Jeep and take up her pursuit?
Arrangements around the transport of prisoners to and from the Alexander Maconochie Centre are not disclosed for obvious security reasons.
This security breach also occurred with Ms Walto somehow aware ACT Corrections' mid-sized, unprotected Toyota Camry sedan would be used for the purpose, and the officers involved would be unarmed.
She performed her role with apparent clear prior knowledge and intent.
Why was Corrections transporting a prisoner using a conventional car deemed unfit for purpose seven months ago?
Corrections policy allows for prisoners judged to be at risk of self-harm to be conveyed in a vehicle other than the standard high-security light trucks and vans.
There are six vehicles in the Court Transport unit. One, a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, is old and could trap someone in the back if it caught fire. The two Hyundai i-Loads are basically vans with security "boxes" within their cargo areas.
Corrections' choice of a Camry to convey at-risk prisoners with three across the back seat - in this case with 190cm inmate Kane Quinn jammed in the middle - was hugely unpopular with staff. An independent assessment found it should not have been on the prison transport fleet.
In the wake of this incident, the Camry is now off the fleet. It is also a near write-off after being rammed at least five times.
How did the Corrections Camry taking a detainee to Canberra Hospital in end up in Manuka?
In the absence of any explanation from ACT Corrections, the assumption is the driver turned off the most direct Hindmarsh Drive route in an attempt to flee the pursuing Jeep.
It is known that the Camry raced down suburban Goyder Street, Narrabundah, overtaking and forcing other vehicles off the road in a 50km/h zone, then turned into Jerrabomberra Avenue and Canberra Avenue.
The intended destination of the officer driving is also a mystery, although some well-placed sources say the intent was to drive to the Australian Federal Police headquarters in Barton, where armed protective services officers are on duty 24/7 and potentially could offer protection.
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