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One of two drivers charged over a head-on crash that killed an innocent 26-year-old man was chasing a suspected scrap-metal thief the wrong way along the Bruce Highway.
Andre Roberts, 26, was travelling home from work on February 17 when his Honda Accord was struck head-on by a stolen Isuzu truck travelling on the wrong side of the Bruce Highway near Burpengary, north of Brisbane.
In the weeks before the crash, thieves had targeted scrap metal businesses in the Narangba area. The stolen white Isuzu was linked to those thefts.
The Isuzu truck was spotted circulating the area on the night of February 17 and information spread to several business owners, who converged on the industrial precinct.
The businesses owners – including a 42-year-old man in a Ford Ranger, who worked for one of the businesses – began chasing the Isuzu.
All but one of the vehicles – the Ford Ranger – abandoned the chase before the Isuzu driver started travelling the wrong way along the Bruce Highway about 10.30pm.
Both the Isuzu and the Ford Ranger were travelling south in the northbound lanes of the highway.
At the same time, Roberts was driving home to Caboolture from work, travelling north.
The Isuzu crashed head-on into Roberts’ Honda Accord, which caught fire, killing the young driver instantly.
The 46-year-old driver of the Isuzu was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The following day, the Ford Ranger was found at a scrap metal dealer on Magnesium Street in Narangba. The 42-year-old man driving the Ford was initially questioned by police and released without charge.
In the days after the crash, Detective Inspector David Harbison stopped short of calling the highway chase an act of vigilantism, but described the drivers pursuing the stolen Isuzu as “concerned business holders looking after their properties”.
“It is alleged prior to the incident, this truck and the driver of the truck was involved in some minor criminal activity involving the theft of some scrap,” he told reporters at the time.
“My understanding is that a number of these businesses have been involved, or have been subject to various property crimes in the last few weeks.
“Some of these people live on these premises, some of them obviously talk to each other. Very quickly whispers got out that perhaps the truck was casing premises or involved in property crime and phone calls were made to concerned parties to come and look after their own property.”
During the chase, the Isuzu allegedly hit a barrier near the weighbridge area in Burpengary, spilling what Harbison described as “generally just junk”, including suspected stolen copper and other scrap metal.
It is alleged the Isuzu then turned around at a roundabout.
“We’re thinking that’s where it’s come back down the wrong way,” Harbison said.
Police announced on Wednesday that the driver of the Ford Ranger from Narangba had been charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing grievous bodily harm and was due to appear in court on April 13.
The driver of the Isuzu – a 46-year-old Redcliffe man – has been charged with manslaughter, as well as 10 other charges, including four counts of entering a premise and committing an offence, three counts of stealing, two counts of receiving tainted property and one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear in Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 12.
Two other men were charged in relation to the stolen Isuzu, which was taken from a Hemmant business about a week before the crash on February 9.
A 49-year-old man and a 36-year-old man, both from Redcliffe, were charged last month with entering premises, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and weapons offences. They have not been charged with any offence in relation to Roberts’ death.
Roberts’ partner Pheobe Burns paid tribute to her soulmate on social media, saying: “Words truly can’t describe what you mean to me and how much my heart aches. You didn’t deserve to leave just yet.”
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