A light rail operator reportedly saved a woman who escaped a brutal assault by her partner and took refuge inside a light rail car in Gungahlin on Monday night.
Police arrested a 33-year-old man soon after the incident and he faced court on Tuesday after being charged with family violence offences including aggravated choking a person.
ACT Policing is now seeking witnesses and dash-cam footage of the incident.
Police said, between 10.30pm and 11.50pm on June 8, 2026, the man allegedly threatened to kill his partner before chasing her out of their home and tackling her to the ground on a grass field near Flemington Road and Manning Clarke Avenue in Gungahlin.
It is alleged he then choked her to the point of unconsciousness. Once the woman regained consciousness she ran toward the light rail stop at Flemington Road and Manning Clarke Avenue.
The tram operator locked the woman inside the tram and police were called. Officers arrived a short time later and spoke to the woman before she was taken to hospital, police said.
ACT Policing began investigations into the incident in Gungahlin on Monday night.
About 12.10am on Tuesday, police conducted a traffic stop on a black Honda Civic on Wizard Street in Gungahlin and found the alleged perpetrator of the assault in the vehicle. He was arrested.
He faced the ACT Magistrates Court later on Tuesday after being charged with family violence offences including aggravated choking a person and rendering unsensible and aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm, police said.
Officers investigating the alleged assault on Monday night are aware of a white Subaru that is believed to have been in the area at the time. Its occupants are asked to contact Crime Stoppers.
ACT Policing is also urging anyone else who witnessed the incident or who has dash-cam footage to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers ACT website by quoting reference number 8409750.
Information can be provided anonymously.
