Two men allegedly responsible for a four-day crime spree that ended in a spectacular arrest at Figtree on Monday have been identified in court as Zach Corkery and Allan Burns, both of whom are from southern NSW.
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The pair chose to remain in the cells during a brief mention of their cases in Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday morning.
They did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.
The duo are facing more than 40 charges between them.
The charges include aggravated break, enter and steal, police pursuit, robbery in company, using an offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention, firearm possession, vehicle theft and assault.
Vision from a police helicopter captured the moment the two men were arrested, just after 11am on Monday.
The footage, released by NSW Police, showed Polair officers tracking a stolen white Holden ute as it travelled along Preston Street at Figtree.
The ute careered across The Avenue, dodging an approaching police vehicle, before it mounted a traffic island and narrowly avoided a head-on crash as the pair travelled the wrong way up the Masters Road off-ramp.
The ute then struck a guardrail and continued a short distance, before two men jumped out and fled into nearby Byarong Creek.
The pair ran along the waterway and under The Avenue bridge, before surrendering as police closed in near Figgy Bowlo.
Police will allege the men were involved in robberies and other offences spanning an area from Griffith to Wollongong over four days.
In one incident, on Sunday, a woman was allegedly hit in the stomach with the end of a firearm during an aggravated break and enter near Griffith. It is also alleged the men had travelled across the state’s south in different stolen cars.
About 10pm on Sunday, police attempted to stop them in a stolen Nissan Patrol ute on the Hume Motorway at Mittagong.
The vehicle did not stop, sparking a pursuit just south of Bargo. About 10.30pm, the stolen ute allegedly rammed a marked police car in Colo Vale before the two men ran into nearby bushland.
A woman also travelling in the car was arrested and has been assisting police with their inquiries.
On Monday, police were involved in pursuits with other stolen cars in Picton and Wollongong.
About 10.20am, a stolen Mitsubishi Outlander was spotted at Picton. The car mounted the kerb and ran over an electrical substation, cutting power.
Solicitor Lance Watson, who was inside Picton Courthouse, said the Outlander sped along the main street.
“One of the police officers who had been in court stepped out onto the roadway, drew his gun and pointed it at the vehicle as it was driving towards him up the street,” Mr Watson said.
“The car immediately turned into the IGA car park and we lost sight of it.”
Police were waved down in the car park. A 41-year-old woman and her parents, aged 80 and 84, were allegedly confronted and removed from their Subaru Impreza before the two men fled.
The 84-year-old man was treated for shock and taken to Bowral Hospital.
