A 31-year-old learner driver has been arrested in Grafton after allegedly firing a pistol at police during a pursuit that lasted roughly an hour and ended with an attempted break-in.
The incident began around 8.50pm on Tuesday 10 March when officers stopped a Mitsubishi Lancer on Mulgi Drive, South Grafton. During the stop, police allegedly located and seized a small amount of ammunition and a knife from the car. The learner driver was issued a future court attendance notice for possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit, possess ammunition without holding licence, permit or authority, and learner not accompanied by driver, police officer or tester, and had her learner's permit suspended.
About 9.45pm that evening, police located the same woman allegedly driving the same car near the intersection of Old Lily Pool Road and Armidale Road, South Grafton. Police directed the driver to stop; however, when she allegedly failed to do so a pursuit was initiated.
The pursuit travelled onto Armidale Road before going onto Orana Way, where the 31-year-old allegedly fired several shots from the Mitsubishi. Significantly, no officers were injured, and no vehicles were damaged during the incident.
The pursuit reached a critical point when the driver stood on top of the car and allegedly pointed the pistol at officers and herself while police attempted to speak with her. The woman then allegedly jumped off the car and attempted to break into the home before police arrested her. During the arrest, police located and seized the pistol for forensic examination.
The 31-year-old was taken to Grafton Police Station where she was charged with police pursuit, not stop, drive at speed, destroy or damage property (domestic violence), discharge firearm with intent to resist arrest, special aggravated break and enter with intent armed with dangerous weapon, drive motor vehicle while licence suspended, use unregistered firearm-pistol, and use, supply, acquire or possess defaced firearm.
She was refused bail to appear before Bail Division Local Court 1 on Wednesday 11 March 2026.
The charges reflect the severity of the incident. For a police pursuit offence, the maximum penalty is imprisonment for three years for a first offence. The additional charge of discharging a firearm with intent to resist arrest carries further potential custody. That no officers or members of the public were harmed during the pursuit stands as a reminder of how quickly such incidents can escalate and turn fatal.