Police arrest three men in Wadeye over stolen Darwin RAAF base vehicle

Police have apprehended three men in Wadeye after a vehicle allegedly stolen from Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin was used in a spree of crime. According to investigators, a man broke into the base on Monday, assaulted an Australian Defence Force member, and drove off with a Ford Ranger. The stolen vehicle was discovered in Wadeye, a remote community southwest of Darwin, the previous day.

Three men were arrested in the area late yesterday after a pursuit that ended near Palmerston when the vehicle lost sight. The police are confident that additional offenders were involved in the crime spree, which included the theft of a tradie's tools from Zuccoli, a suburb in Palmerston, and fuel from a service station in Coolalinga.

The vehicle was later seen traveling south on the Stuart Highway. The police have stated that the stolen RAAF security vehicle has been recovered in Wadeye. Further investigations into the theft, assault, and subsequent offenses are ongoing. The arrests come as Wadeye has been experiencing a heightened period of unrest, with violent incidents involving up to 100 people allegedly armed with compound bows, spears, and metal objects.

A 22-year-old man was seriously injured during this disturbance, and additional police were sent to the community. The violence from Wadeye has reportedly spilled over into Darwin, resulting in multiple arrests during a brawl in the city's northern suburbs on Monday. The brawl left a 30-year-old Wadeye man in a critical condition in the hospital.

Wadeye has been plagued by periods of violent unrest for many years, often driven by social issues such as low employment prospects, alcohol, and entrenched disadvantage.