A man will face court after being located by a police dog in Alice Springs last night.

The General Purpose dog Stinger and his handler were called to assist after a man fled from police following a car crash. Earlier in the night police had attempted to stop a car which was being driven without head lights in Gap Road just before 11pm.

Police pursued the Nissan Patrol when the driver failed to stop but the pursuit was terminated when the driver sped off.

A short time later the vehicle was located near the Tom Brown roundabout. Superintendent Michael Murphy said it appeared the driver lost control of the vehicle causing it to mount the curb and drive across the roundabout before stopping.

"When police arrived the driver and one of the two passengers fled towards the Todd River where they were found hiding in long grass after they were tracked and located by police dog Stinger," Supt Murphy said.

"This response again demonstrates what an effective resource we have in the General Purpose Dog and handler ."

The 37-year-old male driver was taken into custody for traffic matters and the 29-year-old male passenger was taken into protective custody. Both were taken to the Alice Springs Hospital for assessment.

The driver is expected to be charged later today.


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Theresa Kuilboer
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