A WOMAN and her teenaged daughter were shaken but uninjured after a man allegedly attacked their vehicle with a metal pole, smashing the windscreen, after allegedly fleeing a hit and run accident on the M1 Motorway.
Police say the 52-year-old woman, who was travelling with her 17-year-old daughter, was stopped by a man standing on the roadway about 7am on Saturday, not far from the scene of the alleged hit and run.
She accelerated away before alerting police.
The man was allegedly driving a Toyota RAV4 stolen from Warriewood on Sydney's northern beaches. Police say he hit the rear end of a Mitsubishi Triton ute at high speed on the M1 at Cooranbong shortly before 11pm on Friday.
The ute was allegedly forced into trees on the median strip trapping the 31-year-old driver.
He was released by Lake Macquarie police with the help of members of the public and examined by NSW Ambulance paramedics but did not require treatment.
The SUV was reported stolen from Warriewood earlier that day. The driver allegedly left the scene and, despite a search involving the police dog unit, could not be located.
Southbound traffic on the motorway was disrupted for more than two hours while the vehicles were recovered and the stolen SUV towed for forensic examination.
Police caught up with the driver near the scene of his alleged altercation with the woman and her daughter and he was taken to Toronto Police Station where he was remanded in custody.
The 31-year-old man from Umina Beach, on the Central Coast, was remanded in custody to appear in Newcastle Local Court on Sunday. He faces 13 charges including two counts of destroy or damage property; two counts of being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence, negligent driving, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault, steal property and not give particulars to other driver.
He is also facing domestic-violence-related charges over the alleged assault of a 30-year-old woman at Warriewood on Friday morning. She was taken to Northern Beaches hospital for treatment and has since been released.
He was represented in Newcastle Local Court where he did not enter a plea. He was refused bail after being deemed an unacceptable risk due to the seriousness of the offences alleged, and the risk to the safety of victims, individuals or the community.
The matter was adjourned to Manly Local Court on Monday.
