Police were monitoring a stolen car involved in a horrific crash outside St Edmund’s College in March using an AirTag, but were unable to find a safe way to stop the driver before tragedy struck.
The collision left two boys, aged 14 and 15, in hospital one with life-threatening injuries. The driver, 32-year-old Tayler Hazell, has pleaded guilty to seven charges, including culpable driving causing grievous bodily harm, stealing a car, and unlawfully taking a child. He is awaiting sentencing in the ACT Supreme Court.
Court documents reveal the AirTag was inside the school bag of a young girl who was in the stolen vehicle when it was taken from a childcare centre car park in Sutton, New South Wales. Hazell released the girl unharmed shortly after but continued driving erratically across the border into the ACT.
On his route, Hazell struck another car outside a Queanbeyan school, damaged a pedestrian crossing safety barrier, drove straight over a roundabout, and mounted median strips to bypass traffic. Near St Edmund’s College, in heavy congestion, he attempted to overtake by driving along the median strip hitting another car and the two boys waiting to cross the road.
The impact threw the younger boy nine metres and the older boy 31 metres. The older victim suffered a shattered leg broken in three places, a fractured hip, severed nerves, and major arterial damage. The younger boy sustained partial amputations to several fingers, broken ribs, and bruising to his lungs, liver, and spleen.
Hazell was later stopped by members of the public after abandoning the damaged vehicle, bringing an end to a dangerous and chaotic drive that left a lasting impact on the Canberra school community.
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