A group of "renowned criminals" allegedly lay in wait outside a police officer's Canberra home before attacking him with a car when he returned, leaving him in fear for his life.
Two of the three alleged offenders are now behind bars on charges laid over the Thursday morning incident, but the third is back on the streets after being granted bail.
Police documents, tendered to the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday afternoon, outline how a senior constable drove home about 1.15am to find a Toyota RAV4 parked outside his Throsby address.
The officer, part of Operation Toric, a new taskforce targeting high-risk dangerous drivers, found this suspicious and believed the occupants of the car might be after him.
He therefore followed the Toyota when it accelerated away from his place.
After briefly losing sight of the vehicle, the senior constable saw it driving back towards him in an alleged attempt to ram his car.
The documents say he swerved to avoid a collision and accelerated away from the RAV4, which began pursuing him.
The officer subsequently tried to lead those chasing him towards Gungahlin Police Station while connected to call to inform colleagues of its movements.
At one stage, he saw one of the RAV4's occupants gesturing at him to stop and pointing "a small black item" at him.
"In that moment, [the officer] believed the black item to be a firearm, and feared for his life," the documents say.
The officer reached 140km/h in a 60km/h zone as he tried to evade the Toyota, which allegedly drove straight over a roundabout in another attempt to ram him.
The RAV4 eventually sped away from the officer, who went back to following it again as he had done in the early stages of the incident.
Other police in a marked vehicle later joined the chase after allegedly spotting the Toyota running a red light.
"During the police pursuit, the Toyota exceeded 170km/h in the posted 80km/h zone of Horse Park Drive, Kenny," officers allege.
The chase ultimately ended after the RAV4 allegedly tried to evade the marked car and crashed into the senior constable's vehicle, rendering it immobile.
Bradley Booth, who is accused of having been behind the wheel, allegedly ran into a nearby paddock and unsuccessfully tried to hide from officers who arrested him.
His alleged passengers, David Miller and John Brendan Khan, were apprehended "metres from the Toyota".
Booth, 29, did not apply for bail or enter pleas when he subsequently faced court on six charges.
These included causing harm while participating in a criminal group, using a vehicle as an offensive weapon in circumstances likely to endanger human life, failing to stop for police, and aggravated furious driving.
First Constable Sam Mathieson, of ACT Policing, told the court Booth was an Operation Toric target who had allegedly walked past the senior constable's house numerous times before Thursday morning.
The next to appear was Khan, a 32-year-old Rivett man who rested his head on a table unless raising it to make complaints about the case being "pathetic".
He did not enter pleas to four charges, including causing harm while participating in a criminal group.
His lawyer, Stephanie Beckedahl, said the height of the case against Khan was that he had been "a body in the back seat of the car" that allegedly pursued the off-duty senior constable.
She proposed a number of bail conditions, and Khan piped up to offer a $2000 surety.
Chief Crown prosecutor Anthony Williamson opposed bail, calling First Constable Mathieson to give evidence that Khan had previously breached seven good behaviour orders and failed to front court as required 15 times.
First Constable Mathieson also said Khan was the subject of two active arrest warrants issued in NSW and Queensland.
When Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker refused Khan bail, citing his "concerning" history, the 32-year-old exploded.
"You c---s hit us first. I'm getting the video footage," he ranted.
Miller, 34, fared better after his Legal Aid duty lawyer told the court he may well have been "an innocent bystander ... in the wrong place at the wrong time".
The lawyer said Booth had picked up Miller, who pleaded not guilty to the same charges as Khan, about 10 or 15 minutes before the incident to give him a lift.
Mr Williamson again opposed bail, noting each of the Toyota's occupants had their faces covered during the incident.
He argued any attempt by Miller to disguise his appearance was "inconsistent with innocence".
But Ms Walker decided to grant Miller bail, noting he was also "a renowned criminal" but differentiating his matter from that of Khan by referencing the 34-year-old's "impeccable" history of attending court.
The trio are due back in court on dates between September 1 and October 27.
