Cornered by police, Calman Jermaine Clevens drove a stolen van toward officers and led a high speed pursuit after a violent carjacking attempt.
Clevens, 28, was cut off by patrol cars on an Aspley suburban street in Brisbane's north in May 2020 after trying to steal a vehicle and fighting the owner and his neighbour, a court has been told.
High on drugs, Clevens was driving the stolen van when he stopped and tried to enter another vehicle that was parked in Aspley with the owner sitting inside.
After banging on the door and screaming "get out", Clevens eventually pulled the owner out of the car after a scuffle and got behind the wheel before the neighbour arrived.
Responding to the owner's calls for help, the neighbour got into the vehicle and exchanged blows with Clevens who eventually returned to the stolen van.
The neighbour continued to assault Clevens at the van with the owner joining in before police arrived, attempting to block the street with their patrol cars.
But Clevens reversed the van into a police vehicle before speeding off, forcing two officers to jump out of the way.
In the resulting pursuit Clevens turned off the van's lights and tried to evade police with their sirens and lights whirring even after the stolen vehicle lost a tyre.
At one stage Clevens drove at a patrol car that tried to intercept his van before numerous police vehicles were able to end the pursuit about 10km away from Aspley.
Clevens refused to give a blood sample in custody but told officers he was affected by methamphetamine.
"It is only a matter of good fortune that no one was injured during the course of his dangerous driving," crown prosecutor Aleksandra Nikolic told the District Court.
Clevens had earlier stolen the van when a female owner had parked outside her Brisbane home to take groceries inside, forcing the woman to jump out of the way when he sped off.
He drove around in the van and attempted another carjacking before the Aspley offences, the court heard.
He had stolen three cars over about seven days in Brisbane's north weeks earlier.
Handcuffed and shackled, Clevens on Thursday pleaded guilty to a string of offences that also included a riot charge.
Clevens was involved in a prison riot in Brisbane's south in October 2020 that involved almost 30 inmates and caused damage worth more than $40,000.
He had previously appeared in court 12 times for a total of 64 offences including 14 convictions for unlawful use of a vehicle.
He has never held a driver's licence.
Judge John Allen sentenced Clevens to three years in jail and disqualified him from driving for three years.
He is available for immediate release on parole.
However, Clevens is on remand for other charges.
