Two suspects face 45 charges after high-speed chase and gunfire at police assets on Sunshine Coast

Police say the crime spree started on Wednesday when a home in Childers was robbed of 12 firearms and two men escaped in a previously stolen ute. After dumping that vehicle at Lake MacDonald, they seized another car in the Noosa hinterland and headed toward Nambour, where officers attempted to stop them. During the confrontation, witnesses reported the driver firing at a police helicopter and aiming a gun at an officer inside a patrol car.

The suspect then fled north, stealing a third vehicle before being captured; a 44-year-old from West Gladstone was arrested at the scene, and a 21-year-old from Hervey Bay was taken the following day. Authorities recovered ten guns in the seized vehicle, with two more still missing. The younger offender has been charged with 30 offences, including three counts of serious assault on police, arson and discharging a weapon in public, while the older suspect faces 15 charges, also including serious assault and arson. Both men are related, known to police, and will appear in court this morning.