A YouTube rapper and a fellow Canberra teenager are behind bars after they allegedly tried to break into a shop with an angle grinder, then crashed into a pole at the end of a police pursuit.
Dau Deng and Ekwueme Enyi, both 18, were arrested after they allegedly jumped over a fence and into the backyard of a Macquarie townhouse following the Friday night crash.
Police documents, tendered to the ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday, allege CCTV cameras had captured the pair arriving at a Telstra shop, within Westfield Woden, a few hours earlier.
Enyi allegedly used an angle grinder on the store's front door in an attempt to break in, but security guards quickly contacted police and the intruders left before officers arrived.
Deng and Enyi allegedly returned about two hours after this, when they were "immediately recognised" by Westfield security guards who again contacted police.
Officers responding to the incident claim they arrived to see the 18-year-olds hopping into a silver Holden Commodore, bearing stolen number plates, and disobeying directions to stop.
Deng was allegedly behind the wheel as the Commodore was driven in a manner that posed "extreme danger" to the public, narrowly missing a police car at one stage.
Police say the Holden reached speeds in excess of 130km/h as the ensuing pursuit took officers from Woden to Bindubi Street in Macquarie.
There, the driver of the Commodore allegedly lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a light pole after swerving in an attempt to avoid a tyre deflation device deployed by police.
"Both [Deng and Enyi] decamped the vehicle and ran west, jumping a fence and entering the backyard of a townhouse that backs onto Bindubi Street," police allege.
Police say they "saturated the area" and eventually found Enyi at the front of a home in Cook, wearing the "distinctive clothing" one of the burglars had on in Woden earlier in the night.
Meanwhile, Deng, who was allegedly not licensed to drive, was arrested at the scene after testing positive for cannabis.
Both men were taken to hospital for assessment before facing court on Saturday.
Enyi, the first of the pair to appear, did not enter pleas to charges of aggravated burglary and unlawful possession of stolen property, which related to the number plates on the Holden.
He declined Legal Aid assistance and indicated he would apply for bail by himself.
But when magistrate Louise Taylor invited him to tell her why he should be released, the Florey resident replied: "I don't have anything to say."
Prosecutor Bwalya Chifuntwe opposed Enyi's release, noting the teenager had already been on bail in relation to a property damage charge.
"The prosecution submits that the defendant is a poor candidate for bail," Mr Chifuntwe said.
Ms Taylor agreed and refused Enyi bail ahead of his next court appearance on November 29.
Deng subsequently faced court, charged with aggravated burglary, furious driving, using a number plate issued to another vehicle, driving unlicensed, and possessing stolen property.
He did not enter pleas, but he told the court: "I have my licence."
Legal Aid duty lawyer Rhiannon Oats applied for Deng's release on bail, telling the court the teenager did not have a criminal record and was happy to abide by a series of conditions.
Ms Oats indicated Deng was unemployed, but "he keeps himself busy by uploading, to his YouTube channel, rapping songs".
The court heard there was "uncertainty" around where Deng would live if he was released.
"He tells [Ms Oats] he lives down south, and now he's saying he lives on the other side of town in Dunlop," Ms Taylor said as the issue of Deng's address was discussed.
The magistrate described the conflicting information as "a red flag" and said she would not refuse bail yet, but instead remand Deng in custody until Tuesday in order for more information about his address to be obtained and put before the court.
Deng protested, telling Ms Taylor he had "a lotta things I gotta do".
"Please don't do this," the rapper pleaded, to no avail.
