The alleged carjacker accused of stealing one car before sending another crashing into a police car and then striking a pedestrian in Sydney‘s CBD has been identified.
Johnny Jose Starri, 36, from Adelaide, faced a bedside court hearing on Friday after he was charged with a string of offences over the alleged rampage that unfolded in front of dozens of shoppers on Thursday night.
Emergency services were called to the corner of King and Pitt Street about 9pm on Thursday following reports of a carjacking.
Police allege Starri approached the female driver of a Mazda sedan before he stole the vehicle and sped off towards George Street.
The Mazda allegedly collided with a rideshare vehicle at the intersection of George and Market Street, which then crashed into a stationary police vehicle parked nearby.
The Mazda crashed into a bollard and then struck a woman in her 50s who was walking along Market Street.
Officers arrested Starri, 36, in his underwear at the scene and transported him to St Vincent’s Hospital for mandatory testing, where he remains under police guard.
Starri was charged with assault with intent to take/drive motor vehicle, negligent driving (no death or grievous bodily harm), common assault and destroy or damage property.
Johnny Jose Starri is accused of stealing a car and causing an alleged rampage through the Sydney CBD
He was allegedly behind the wheel of an allegedly stolen Mazda (pictured) which struck a rideshare vehicle and then a pedestrian
The impact caused the rideshare vehicle to crash into a parked police car
Starri faced a bedside court hearing, where he was formally refused bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court next Wednesday.
It was his second court appearance within three weeks after he faced Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on September 23 on an unrelated matter.
The female pedestrian who was struck was taken to hospital in a stable condition.
The owner of the Mazda and the two occupants in the rideshare vehicle were shaken but uninjured.
Police said the alleged incident appeared to be a random attack and confirmed that the man was known to police in South Australia.
The chaotic scenes unfolded near the Queen Victoria Building, where there were dozens of bystanders.
‘It definitely was a chaotic scene. It was very crowded, we are very lucky that no one was seriously injured,’ Acting Superintendent Andy Solah said.
‘We believe it was a random attack. We had reports over a short period of time of a male person acting erratically and police were responding to those reports at that time.
Johnny Jose Starri, 36, from Adelaide, remains in hospital under police guard
Police investigations into the alleged carjacking continue
‘It was extremely dangerous and we were very fortunate there weren’t more serious injuries.
‘It definitely could have been worse – it is fortunate we were able to arrest the man so quickly.
‘There were a lot of shoppers around the Queen Victoria Building at the time.’
Footage of the aftermath showed the busy intersection cordoned off and debris strewn across the street.
Light rail services were also disrupted. Inquiries into the alleged incident are ongoing.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has relevant footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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