A 25-year-old man who died following a cross-border police pursuit near Kunghur has been named by his devastated family, who say he’d struggled for years with drugs, gangs and firearms.
The man has been named by family on social media as Luca Julius Warren, a Brisbane carpenter who had turned 25 just two days before his death.
A critical incident investigation into the circumstances of his death remains underway.
How the Pursuit Unfolded
According to a statement from NSW Police, the pursuit began after Queensland Police were called about 11.40pm Saturday night, July 18, to reports of an armed man in a white Ford ute on Robina Town Centre Drive.
Patrols located the vehicle about an hour later on the side of West Burleigh Road, and tried to detain the driver, but he evaded officers and headed east towards the Gold Coast Highway.
About 1am Sunday, Queensland Police notified NSW Police that the man had crossed the border. Police allege he was directed to stop but failed to do so, sparking a pursuit through several nearby suburbs and into the Northern Rivers countryside.
Road spikes were deployed twice at South Murwillumbah, but the man kept driving before the vehicle came to a stop down an embankment on Kyogle Road at Kunghur, about 26 kilometres south-west of Murwillumbah, around 2am.
A perimeter was set up and negotiators sent in to speak with him. Police allege that when officers approached the vehicle about 3am, they found Luca seated with a lever-action shotgun on his lap.
At a press conference on Sunday, Acting Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman, Northern Region Commander, said OC spray was used and the man was removed from the vehicle. He was then found to be unconscious, and despite CPR, died at the scene.
Family Remembers “Sweet, Lost Boy”
In a Facebook post, Luca’s aunt, Sally Ariadne, wrote that he died about 20 metres from her front door, on her own property, and that police wouldn’t let her go to him.
“He had done some really stupid things. Made dumb decisions,” she wrote. “But he was still my Luca.”
She said he’d struggled for years with drugs, gangs and firearms, but believes he may have been heading to her house that night because he felt safe there.
She recalled happier memories too — Luca as a small boy, laughing with her kids, holding her hand on bush walks — and said he always knew he had somewhere to turn to and someone who loved him.
Cross-Border Police Pursuit Under Investigation
The circumstances of the pursuit and his death are being investigated by a critical incident team from Richmond Police District, with a report to be prepared for the NSW Coroner.
The cross-border police pursuit and the circumstances surrounding the man’s death remain under investigation.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the Crime Stoppers website.
Read more police news from The Coast Report.
Main Image : ( Sally Ariadne/facebook ) Family posted a tribute to Luca Warren online.