A man wanted over the death of 60-year-old Whitebridge man Philip Steele was arrested late on Sunday after allegedly crashing his motorcycle into an unmarked police car.
The 24-year-old is the third man arrested over Mr Steele’s death in a violent home invasion in Lonus Avenue on December 17.
Police said the man had crashed his motorcycle into the police car in Ntaba Road, Jewells, during a brief police pursuit at 11pm on Sunday.
The man had driven around one parked police car and crashed into a second.
The man had been taken to hospital, where he was being checked as a precaution and remained under police guard.
Police have alleged three people – with their faces covered and armed with baseball bats and knives – broke into Mr Steele’s home and attacked him in his bedroom.
Mr Steele sustained “serious injuries to his body” in the attack and died soon after paramedics took him to John Hunter Hospital.
Two days later, officers arrested a 19-year-old man, Daniel William Mahoney, at a home on Warners Bay Road, Charlestown, and charged him with murder.
They later arrested a 23-year-old, Luke Jones, and charged him with murder. Jones appeared in court on Boxing Day.
Detectives from Lake Macquarie Police District, assisted by the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad, have established Strike Force Lacrozia to investigate the death.
Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
