BY DAKOTA TAIT
A man will face court charged with traffic offences after a pursuit in Lake Macquarie on Thursday morning.
Around 9.40am, officers attached to Lake Macquarie Police District saw a white Toyota Hilux travelling north on the Pacific Highway at Belmont South.
The vehicle had earlier been reported missing from a worksite in Catherine Hill Bay.
The driver allegedly failed to stop and accelerated away from police when a pursuit was initiated.
Police pursued the utility through the suburbs of Belmont South, Belmont and Belmont North before the utility collided with a police vehicle at the intersection of Marks Street and the Pacific Highway in Belmont.
No officers were injured during the collision, but the police vehicle sustained damage.
The pursuit was re-initiated a short time later into Belmont Wetlands, where the pursuit was terminated.
Officers entered the wetlands on foot where they found the utility alight.
With assistance from the Police Dog Squad, a 36-year-old man was arrested nearby.
The man was taken to Belmont Police Station and refused bail to appear at Newcastle Local Court on Friday.
