A 16-year-old boy from Tuggeranong was arrested for burnouts over the weekend. 

About 12.40am on Saturday police spotted a gathering of vehicles at the intersection of Tidbinbilla Road and Point Hutt Road. When police got there they saw shredded tyres, melted molten rubber on the roadway accompanied by a strong smell of burnt rubber.

The 16-year-old was spoken to by police, however he fled the scene in another vehicle a short time later.

He subsequently presented to Tuggeranong Police Station on Sunday evening, where he was arrested.

The boy will appear in the ACT Children’s Court on a total of seven charges – escape from lawful custody, improper use of a motor vehicle, providing false information to police, driving unlicensed (licence never held), driving an unregistered vehicle, driving an uninsured vehicle, and plates calculated to deceive.

Police say they have received numerous incidents of burnouts, hoon driving, and anti-social driving behaviour in recent weeks, particularly in the rural areas of the ACT.

Officer in charge of Tuggeranong Police Station, Acting Inspector Elizabeth Swain said it was only a matter of time before one of these reckless, thrill-seeking incidents ends in tragedy.

“They may not realise it, but people who engage in burnouts, hooning, street racing and other dangerous activities are one mistake, one lapse in concentration, or one unexpected bump in the road away from having a serious collision where they could kill not only themselves, but other road users,” she said.

“Police simply will not tolerate this kind of anti-social behaviour on our roads, wherever that may be, and neither should the ACT community.

“The road is there for everyone to use safely and responsibly.

“I would like to remind drivers that police actively target burnout and anti-social driving ‘black spots’, and if you are looking to fill an evening with this kind of ‘entertainment’, police will catch you.”