Footage showing a flash Holden ute being crushed by police has Australia cringing and cheering.
A 20-year-old South Australian L-Plater, who admitted to “driving like a d**khead”, has had his ute crushed by police after being clocked at 253km/h earlier this year.
The Advertiser reports Tarelle Power-Williams was caught by police travelling at a hair-raising speed on the North-South on January 30.
This week his pride and joy — and unregistered — black Holden ute was crushed.
Learner drivers in South Australia can only drive at 100km/h.
Putting new policing power into practice, SA Police on Friday morning crushed the Commodore ute in a public display at Wingfield, in a display aimed at spooking other drivers thinking of doing the same.
Footage of the crushing has gone viral and is both hard to watch (for ute lovers) while others celebrated it with schadenfreude.
Some Aussies cheered the act of vandalism by police.
“Very satisfying to watch,” one person wrote.
“Good, I would of taken him to watch the show,” a commenter quipped.
But others could hardly watch.
“Awful to watch such a nice car,” another added.
“Should have asked for parts out first,” a car-lover commented.
The display resulted from a police court application asking that the ute be forfeited as part of the prosecution, invoking the crushing powers as the disposal method.
The crushed vehicle will be sold for scrap, the Advertiser reported, with proceeds going to the victims of crime.
SA Police Traffic Services Branch officer-in-charge Darren Fielke explained the method of deterrence.
“This is what motorists driving at extreme speed on our roads can face – jail, having your vehicle crushed and sold for scrap metal, and a disqualification from driving,” he said.
“This is a warning for all motorists – be responsible on our roads. It will save lives, keep you out of jail, and you’ll be able to keep driving your vehicle.
“The behaviour of every motorist impacts the safety of every other road user.
“Road trauma has catastrophic effects on families and communities, and we cannot tolerate drivers who blatantly disregard that responsibility.”
Power-Williams was sentenced in July to one year and four months jail, with a non-parole period of seven months, and was also disqualified from driving until further order.
The court heard that he was the “most dangerous person in the state” during the minutes he was speeding.
He was reportedly found 2km further along the road because his gearbox blew up from overrevving, where he admitted to police he was “driving like a d**khead”.
The sentence was backdated to June 15.
Police Minister Joe Szakacs said South Australia’s soaring road toll – which sits at 74 lives – supported the decision to crush the vehicle.
“Hooning is not an innocent act. A stark reminder of this fact is seen in the state’s road toll,” he said.
“The easiest way to keep the keys to your car is to not drive in a dangerous way. Lives are at stake.
“Idiotic and selfish risk-taking on South Australian roads puts all that use our roads in unnecessary danger.”