Northern Territory police say a woman who died in an alleged crash in Alice Springs Tuesday night had entered the road shortly after she was allegedly assaulted by her partner.
Key points:
- The woman has been identified as a 25-year-old girl from Alice Springs
- Police are appealing to the public for information about a silver Holden Commodore VE
- The woman was allegedly assaulted shortly before she died
At around 10 p.m., paramedics responded to reports that a woman had been hit by a car in the Alice Springs CBD.
She was taken to Alice Springs Hospital in critical condition, but was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
The car has fled the scene and police are urging witnesses to testify and anyone with information.
Sergeant Major Mick Schumacher said detectives were reviewing CCTV footage of the incident captured by a local resident and a nearby gas station to identify the driver of the car, but had not yet been able to do so.
Based on the paint stains recovered from the scene, he said police had identified the vehicle as a silver VE model Holden Commodore sedan, but did not yet have a license plate number.
These cars were manufactured between 2006 and 2014 “so it’s a ten-year-old car,” said Sergeant Major Mick Schumacher.
“So if anyone has noticed any damage to the front fender of a silver Commodore sedan, we’d love to get that information,” he said.
“We will invest all the resources we can find to really locate the vehicle.”
Sergeant Major Mick Schumacher said the woman had allegedly been assaulted by her partner shortly before she arrived on Gap Road.
‘Terrible incident’
The victim has been identified as a 25-year-old woman from Central Australia.
Chief Sergeant Schumacher said police had used paint stains to identify the vehicle’s make. (Provided by: NTPFES)
Chief Sergeant Schumacher said it was a “terrible incident” and that some CCTVs in the area had helped police rebuild what had happened in the moments leading up to the woman’s death.
She said the woman had been assaulted in an alleged domestic violence incident on a service road west of Gap Road.
Shortly after the assault, she entered the busy road and was hit by a passing vehicle, which fled the scene.
“They didn’t stop, they didn’t give any help and we would like to find the vehicle and definitely talk to the driver,” he said.
The woman’s partner refused to participate in a police interview.
Chief Sergeant Schumacher said detectives had spoken to a couple of witnesses and that thanks to CCTV, they could see that there were other people in the area who might have seen something.
“The CCTV footage has been amazing and crucial, but it’s quite grainy and it’s hard to identify the person’s facial features,” he said.