Nick Kyrgios’ alleged Tesla thief: ACT court hears how tennis star ‘tracked down robber’
Masked man allegedly points a gun at Nick Kyrgios’s elderly mother and steals his Tesla – before tennis star stopped thief with clever technical move’
- Tennis star tracked his allegedly stolen Telsa on the app
- His mother was reportedly held at gunpoint at the front door
- Car was found 35 minutes after alleged robbery
Extraordinary details have emerged in court about how Nick Kyrgios helped police track down a man accused of stealing his Tesla from his mother at gunpoint.
The ACT Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday that the elderly mother of Australian tennis star Norlaila opened the door of her home in Canberra only for an alleged masked thief to shove a long-barreled shotgun in her face and take the keys to Kyrgios’ lime-green vehicle to demand, parked in the driveway.
The masked gunman then reportedly demanded the terrified woman show him how to drive the Telsa Model X.
Ms Kyrgios handed the keys to thief – who cannot be named for legal reasons – then ran inside yelling at her son and his manager Daniel Horsfall, according to a Canberra times report.
The Wimbledon finalist then called triple-0 – while using the electric car’s special app on his phone to limit the Tesla’s speed to 50 mph and track its movements for police, the court heard .
A court has heard how Nick Kyrgios (pictured in his Telsa) helped police track down his beloved car that was allegedly stolen from his family’s driveway on Monday
Police then followed the car to the side of a road in Watson and attempted to arrest the driver, the court heard.
The alleged robber would then have ‘driven away’ and driven on the wrong side of the road when attempting to escape, the court heard.
Police then called off the pursuit due to concerns for the safety of other road users.
Eventually, the Tesla was blocked in a driveway in Ainslie by tactical officers and the driver was removed from the car 35 minutes after the alleged robbery.
He was taken to hospital and then arrested Canberra times reported.
The Aussie star’s elderly mother Norlaila (pictured left with her tennis star son) was reportedly held at gunpoint during the terrifying incident
The man did not enter a plea and was denied bail by the court, despite defense lawyers claiming he had to raise children and run his own business.
Magistrate Glenn Theakston told the court that no bail bond could sufficiently address the risks of alleged recidivism, given the man’s long criminal history.
The defendant, who has yet to plead, will remain behind bars until his next trial later this month.
ACT The police investigation into the incident continues.
Anyone who witnessed the alleged incident, or may have dashcam footage of it, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Police later recovered Kyrgios’ beloved lime-green Telsa in Ainslie, a Canberra suburb