by Cam Lucadou-Wells
A Dandenong-born carjacker has been jailed over a wild afternoon police pursuit in which he crashed and carjacked multiple vehicles across Melbourne and the South East.
Brody Hopkins, then 24, repeatedly ran red lights, overtook on the wrong side of the road and collided with several cars in heavy traffic as well as reaching speeds up to 200 km/h during the 90-minute escapade on 22 June 2023.
Victorian County Court judge Scott Johns said in sentencing on 16 May that it was as bad an episode of dangerous driving during a police pursuit as he’d seen.
Judge Johns said Hopkins posed a “real danger to lives and safety” when on the run from police and using illicit drugs.
“The facts speak for themselves.”
At one point, Hopkins attempted to stab a man during one of the four carjackings, in which he “ripped” drivers from their cars.
In another instance, he mounted a footpath narrowly missing a pedestrian.
People could have been killed at several points during the “brazen” and “extremely dangerous” conduct, Judge Johns said.
Hopkins had also terrifed victims of an armed home invasion in which he and a 15-year-old boy stole two cars.
The air and road pursuit started about 2.20pm with Hopkins fleeing with a boy in a stolen Honda HRV from Sandown Park Hotel.
Despite running over a police tyre-deflation device, Hopkins drove on, ran a red light, reached speeds of more than 130 km/h on Warrigal Road and scraped a Toyota Yaris before coming to a stop in Parkdale.
Hopkins then pulled a female driver out of a Suzuki while his teen companion smashed the side window with a crowbar.
A man nearby tried to pull Hopkins out of the car. Hopkins attempted to stab him with a utility knife and drove off with the man holding on the doorway.
The man narrowly avoided being squashed against another car before Hopkins reversed across four lanes of traffic and drove off.
At another point, the Suzuki was boxed-in by police in a dead-end avenue in Aspendale.
Hopkins reversed intentionally into a police car and drove around two further police units to escape.
After several high-speed near-misses with oncoming traffic and red lights, Hopkins and the boy got into a waiting, stolen Triton in Springvale South.
It collided with a police vehicle as it pulled out in front of traffic at a servo on Westall Road.
Two minutes later, Hopkins crashed into another car. He then got out of the moving Triton and told a driver to “get the f*** out” of her Mazda CX3.
He crashed the Mazda into the car in front and sped up to 164 km/h on Westall Road.
He crashed at about 100km/h into the side of a Hilux on Dingley Bypass, with the Hilux driver later taken to hospital for observation.
Hopkins then stole a Ford Falcon, throwing the driver to the ground.
As the pursuit rolled on, Hopkins sped up to 200km/h on Mornington Peninsula Freeway, U-turned and narrowly missed cars on Springvale Road, ran red lights in Keysborough and reached speeds of up to 160 km/h on Eastlink.
Hopkins braked and turned across two lanes of traffic on Eastern Freeway, crashing into a Commodore and sending it spinning into median-strip bollards.
He continued up to 150km/h in emergency lanes and grass, weaving through built-up traffic and colliding with a Mercedes.
Hopkins drove up to 110km/h on Hoddle Street passing heavy congestion by detouring onto the median strip and the opposite side of the road.
Again he crashed into the back of a Mazda 6, mounted the median strip and crashed into two other cars.
At Richmond train station, Hopkins and the boy carjacked a stationary Ford Falcon.
“Get the f*** out of the car or we’re going to bash you,” Hopkins and the teen told the driver.
They escaped and remained at large overnight.
The car was found the following day parked in Oakleigh.
Hopkins was arrested a few days later and had been remanded ever since.
Now 26, he pleaded guilty to a suite of charges including aggravated carjacking, aggravated home invasion, car thefts, reckless conduct endangering life, putting emergency workers at risk by driving and dangerous driving while pursued by police.
Judge Johns noted Hopkins’ PTSD stemming from a neglectful, threatening and disadvantaged childhood including family violence, bereavement and taking meth from a young age.
He was impressed with Hopkins’ insight and contrition at Koori Court, as well as a “genuine desire” to reform.
However, community protection was a significant concern, Judge Johns said – unless Hopkins could overcome his drug abuse and cognitive functioning.
Hopkins was jailed for up to six years, including a three-and-a-half-year non-parole period.
It included more than 22 months in pre-sentence detention.
