Police in the New England region have arrested and charged four men and a woman over an incident near Glen Innes.Highway Patrol officers attempted to stop a stolen white Holden Commodore sedan on the New England Highway about 30km north of Glen Innes just after 4pm Thursday November 1, 2012.
A pursuit was initiated but later terminated for safety reasons after one of the five occupants of the Holden threw a rock at an unmarked police vehicle.
The stolen car continued south along the highway before turning onto the Guyra-Ebor Road.
A short time later, a passenger was allegedly spotted throwing rocks at oncoming traffic.
One of the projectiles penetrated the windscreen of a blue dual-cab four-wheel-drive — striking the driver, a 29-year-old man, in the head.
The man immediately lost consciousness at the wheel, forcing his father, who was travelling in the front passenger’s seat, to take control of the vehicle.
He managed to stop the vehicle 2km down the road.
The injured man was taken by NSW Ambulance Paramedics to Armidale Hospital before being airlifted to Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital for emergency treatment.
He remains in a critical condition.
Meanwhile, the five occupants of the stolen car were arrested by police after it crashed into a patrol car on the Wollombi-Wongwibinda Road.
The group was taken to Armidale Police Station and questioned by investigating officers and later charged with numerous offences.
Inquiries by police have revealed a truck and two other cars were allegedly hit by rocks thrown from the stolen car.
A Critical Incident Investigation Team has been established to examine the incident.
