School shock at evader

STUDENTS at Launceston Preparatory School watched on as a man driving a light truck and allegedly evading police crashed into another truck.

Police allege the man fled from the scene, through backyards and onto the school grounds, where he was arrested after a short struggle.

A female passenger was also arrested.

“Any incident of evade police has the potential to cause serious injury and damage to property and we treat all incidents of evade very seriously,” Inspector Gary Williams said.

“There were parents and children at the school, they would have witnessed some of the arrest and they probably would have witnessed an increased police presence in the area.”

The incident started about 8am when police tried to pull over a Mitsubishi tuck for a seatbelt offence in Launceston. The driver allegedly refused to stop and, in an attempt to avoid being intercepted, collided with an unmarked police vehicle.

Multiple police vehicles tracked the Mitsubishi to Olive Street in Newstead, where it allegedly collided with another truck in a school zone and became immobilised.

The driver left the scene and was arrested.

Joshua Peter Ponting was charged with evade police and faced the Launceston Magistrates Court yesterday afternoon.

He did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody to reappear on September 21.

Inspector Williams said the police car had “moderate damage” and the truck had “reasonably significant” damage.

There has been a 130 per cent increase in police evasions to nearly 1600 a year.

Figures obtained by the Mercury show police evasions have surged from 693 in 2014-15 to 1598 incidents in the last financial year.