Police examine the scene where the stolen Holden Commodore came to a stop while its driver, Tayler Christian Hazell (insert), was taken to hospital covered in blood. Photos: Supplied/Tendered to the court.
CONTENT WARNING: This article contains graphic images.
The meth-affected driver who crashed into two school students was allegedly assaulted by police after he was arrested, resulting in lawyers agreeing he suffered extra-curial punishment.
Tayler Christian Hazell crashed a stolen Holden Commodore into the 14 and 15-year-old boys as they were walking near St Edmund’s College in Canberra on 28 March 2025, leaving them seriously injured.
He drove away before he came to a stop in Manuka and tried to run away, but members of the public performed a citizen’s arrest and prevented him from fleeing before ACT police officers arrested him.
According to written submissions filed in the ACT Supreme Court as part of his sentencing hearing this week, lawyers agreed it was after his arrest that he suffered extra-curial punishment at the hands of two tactical response members (TRM) with the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
Hazell’s lawyer, Sam Lynch of the Aboriginal Legal Service, said his client did not resist after he was arrested, then he was handcuffed and told to sit down with his hands behind his back.
“Police are in control of his arrest, and he gives no physical or verbal indication of an intention to flee, be uncooperative or threatening,” he said.
The two TRM officers arrived after his arrest in time to hear him say something like, “I’m done, I’m done”.
“No, you’re f-ing not,” one of these officers replied.
Mr Lynch said this officer then put his hands around Hazell’s neck and drove him to the ground.
“He is screamed at to stop resisting. He is not. He is told multiple times to shut the f-k up,” the lawyer said.
He said this was captured on the body-worn cameras of the two ACT police officers who arrested his client, one of whom was recorded saying, “Guys, guys, bodycam is on”, before walking away while his client could be heard screaming in the background.
“The arrest was intense but had been completed by [the ACT police officers] and was controlled by the time the TRM arrived. Their involvement was unnecessary,” Mr Lynch said.
The top two photos show Tayler Christian Hazell after he was arrested and before the AFP’s tactical response members arrived, while the bottom two photos show him after their arrival at the scene and when he had been taken to hospital. Photos: Tendered to the court.
The defence lawyer said his client’s actions were extremely dangerous and he must be lawfully punished for that by the court.
“The force used on him, however, following his arrest was excessive and without cause,” he said.
“He clearly suffered physical injury after he had been arrested, injuries which were not present before the involvement of the TRM.”
In the written submissions, Crown prosecutor Tamzin Lee accepted Hazell was “the victim of unlawful use of force by members of the AFP Territory Response Group” immediately after he was arrested by members of ACT’s general duties police officers.
“This conduct cannot be protected or endorsed and has been referred to professional standards and is the subject of ongoing police investigation,” she said.
She accepted that extra-curial punishment should be considered as a mitigating factor in sentencing. But she also argued that due to the seriousness of the overall offending and Hazell’s culpability, “extrajudicial punishment should attract little weight”.
On Thursday (19 February), regarding allegations of extrajudicial punishment inflicted by police officers, an AFP spokesperson said the organisation’s professional standards unit had launched an investigation.
“Their inquiries determined conduct was in breach of AFP’s professional standards,” they said.
On Friday (20 February), Acting Justice John Burns said a redacted version of the footage of Hazell’s arrest would be released to the media after it was filed with the Supreme Court.
Both of the boys Hazell hit with the car suffered horrific injuries; one boy’s injuries were life-threatening. The boys were taken to the hospital in critical condition and needed immediate surgery.
The 32-year-old has remained in custody since his arrest.
Juanita Dawson i remember some conversations about this at the time!!! View