West End crash: Mother and baby injured after Landcruiser ploughs into vehicle

A mother and baby are lucky to be alive after a car crashed into their vehicle at ‘high speed’ before the driver was tackled to the ground in a dramatic citizen’s arrest.

The pair were among five people injured in the incident in Francis Street on West End in Townsville, Queensland, on Sunday.

The mother and baby were in a car with another passenger when the vehicle was hit from behind by a Landcruiser in an alleged ‘high speed’ crash.

The back of the car carrying the mother and baby was torn off and bent under the force as the Landcruiser crashed through the gate of a house and crashed into another car parked in the driveway.

Local Good Samaritans, including a group of bocce players, immediately rushed to the rescue and made a citizen’s arrest of the alleged Landcruiser driver.

“The guy that was in that car started running away, so a few of us chased him,” Ryan Kelly said 7News.

The group chased the man through local streets before eventually apprehending him.

“We were lucky enough to catch up with him and held him until the police arrived,” Kelly said.

“This guy (allegedly) went right through the stop sign and ran into a young family, so it was a pretty bad act.”

The alleged driver, who is in his 30s, was handcuffed by police and then treated by paramedics before being taken on a stretcher to an ambulance.

The man, from Wulguru in Townsville, was taken to hospital under police guard for assessment.

“There were some injuries in the vehicle that were minor, but this was a high-speed collision,” Acting Senior Sergeant Anthony Kirkham said.

The alleged driver did that has been charged with driving without a license, unregistered driving, driving an uninsured vehicle and possession of dangerous drugs.

He will appear in the Townsville Magistrates Court on Monday.