--- title: "Elderly man seriously injured after police pursuit crash in Perth" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/elderly-man-seriously-injured-after-police-pursuit-crash-in-perth" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/elderly-man-seriously-injured-after-police-pursuit-crash-in-perth" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/elderly-man-seriously-injured-after-police-pursuit-crash-in-perth.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/elderly-man-seriously-injured-after-police-pursuit-crash-in-perth" category: "Conflict & Security" published: "2026-10-12T09:05:28.394Z" source_reported: "2026-10-12T06:32:53.000Z" updated: "2026-10-12T09:05:28.394Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 70 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-12T14:15:40.824519+00:00" --- # Elderly man seriously injured after police pursuit crash in Perth *An unmarked police car collided with a civilian vehicle during a chase of a stolen car.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to WA Police; two independent outlets published full reports. - Craft 70 of 100, higher is better. Reports include witness accounts and details of the crash scene. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Headlines use phrases like 'Breaking' and 'horribly wrong' but the body is factual. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - An 80-year-old man sustained serious injuries and is in hospital after his car was hit by an unmarked police vehicle during a pursuit. - The crash occurred in Leeming, Perth, when police were chasing a stolen car. - Two police officers were taken to hospital as a precaution and have since been discharged. - The driver of the stolen car was apprehended in Coogee. An 80-year-old man is in hospital with serious injuries after a police pursuit ended in a collision in Perth's southern suburbs. The incident occurred on Monday morning when an unmarked police vehicle, pursuing a stolen car, collided with a civilian vehicle. Two police officers involved in the pursuit were taken to hospital as a precaution and later discharged. The collision happened at the intersection of South Street and Beasley Road in Leeming. The stolen car had been spotted by officers earlier on Albany Highway in Maddington. Following the crash, the stolen vehicle was tracked by a police helicopter to a caravan park in Coogee, where its driver was arrested. ## Disagreement on the sequence of events PerthNow reported that the elderly driver of the Hyundai Accent gave way to the stolen vehicle before pulling out in front of the police car. ABC Australia stated the police car, which was understood to be using its lights and siren, collided with the Hyundai Accent as it was turning across South Street. ## Omissions None of the left-rated digests mention the specific location where the stolen car was first spotted by officers. The right-rated digest does not mention the elderly driver being cut from his vehicle or the specific hospital he was taken to. ## Who covered it Shares of the 8 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 50% (4) - Centre: 37% (3) - Right: 13% (1) 0 of 8 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-12T14:15:40.824519+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 23 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-12T15:00:27.861Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated reports led with the serious injury to the elderly man, describing him as collateral damage in a police pursuit. They noted the police car was unmarked and travelling at high speeds. The reports detailed the extent of the damage to the civilian car, including its engine being ejected, and mentioned the police officers were taken to hospital as a precaution. The arrest of the 27-year-old driver of the stolen car was also included. ### Centre - The centre-rated reports highlighted the dramatic nature of the crash, with one headline stating a "man fighting for life after police car slams into vehicle as pursuit goes wrong". They included witness accounts from a tradie who described the sound and visual impact of the crash, noting the engine was thrown from the car. The reports detailed the elderly driver being cut from his vehicle and taken to Royal Perth Hospital, and mentioned the police officers' discharge. The pursuit of the stolen car, its initial sighting, and the subsequent arrest of its driver were also covered. ### Right - The single right-rated report stated that police were responding to a serious crash that left one person seriously injured in Perth's south. It did not provide further details on the circumstances of the crash or the identities of those involved beyond the initial fact of the injury. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 6 - veryHigh: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [7NEWS Australia](https://7news.com.au/news/south-street-crash-elderly-man-fighting-for-life-after-police-car-slams-into-vehicle-as-pursuit-goes-wrong-c-23004827) — Police chase goes horribly wrong, man fighting for life - [Sydney Morning Herald](https://smh.com.au/national/western-australia/elderly-man-rushed-to-hospital-after-police-pursuit-crash-20261012-p614vk.html) — Elderly man rushed to hospital after police pursuit crash - [The Age](https://theage.com.au/national/western-australia/elderly-man-rushed-to-hospital-after-police-pursuit-crash-20261012-p614vk.html) — Elderly man rushed to hospital after police pursuit crash - [Brisbane Times](https://brisbanetimes.com.au/national/western-australia/elderly-man-rushed-to-hospital-after-police-pursuit-crash-20261012-p614vk.html) — Elderly man rushed to hospital after police pursuit crash - [WA today](https://watoday.com.au/perth-news/elderly-man-rushed-to-hospital-after-police-pursuit-crash-20261012-p614vk.html) — Elderly man rushed to hospital after police pursuit crash - [ABC Australia](https://abc.net.au/news/2026-10-12/police-respond-to-serious-crash-in-leeming/107256838) — Breaking: Police pursuit ends in serious crash in Perth's south - [The West Australian](https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/leeming-crash-wa-police-st-john-wa-and-firefighters-on-scene-of-serious-crash-on-south-street-c-23004827) — Rescuers rush to scene after one trapped in serious crash - [PerthNow](https://perthnow.com.au/wa/leeming-crash-wa-police-st-john-wa-and-firefighters-on-scene-of-serious-crash-on-south-street-c-23004827) — Rescuers rush to scene after one trapped in serious crash ## Questions **How old is the man injured in the crash?** The man injured in the crash is 80 years old. He sustained serious injuries and was taken to Royal Perth Hospital. **What happened during the police pursuit?** An unmarked police vehicle was pursuing a stolen car when it collided with a civilian vehicle driven by an 80-year-old man. The crash occurred at the intersection of South Street and Beasley Road in Leeming. **Were any police officers injured?** Yes, two police officers who were in the unmarked vehicle were taken to hospital as a precaution. They were later discharged. **What happened to the driver of the stolen car?** The driver of the stolen car was apprehended in Coogee after being tracked by a police helicopter. He was taken into custody and is assisting detectives. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/conflict/elderly-man-seriously-injured-after-police-pursuit-crash-in-perth. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Elderly man seriously injured after police pursuit crash in Perth", https://mediabias.news/conflict/elderly-man-seriously-injured-after-police-pursuit-crash-in-perth