Police allege a family feud stemming from the remote community of Wadeye has erupted on Darwin streets, with three men charged after a pedestrian was struck by a stolen car.
In recent months, unrest in Wadeye has displaced hundreds of people, with dozens of homes destroyed — or severely damaged — by fire.
Jonathon Cumaiyi, 41, Matthew Thardim, 23 and Donald Thardim, 18, faced the Darwin Local Court on Wednesday and were charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle and stealing.
Mr Cumaiyi was also charged with a series of additional offences, including recklessly endangering life, dangerous driving and going armed in public.
Footage of the alleged incident on Saturday morning emerged on social media, showing a car colliding with a pedestrian at a Darwin hotel.
Displaced people allegedly involved
In a statement, NT Police alleged the collision was part of a "series of incidents" between two families.
"We have a significant mass of very clear CCTV from the 'Puma incident'," prosecutor Caitlin Searle told the Darwin Local Court.
"There's a large number of witnesses that will mostly require interpreters and many of the witnesses are people who have been displaced from their homes in Wadeye as result of the ongoing violence."
Ms Searle told the court the CCTV, DNA and forensic evidence made it a "very complex investigation".
Neither Mr Cumaiyi nor Matthew Thardim applied for bail, but 18-year-old Donald Thardim was released after the court heard he was a passenger in the vehicle at the time of the alleged incident.
"He's 18-year-old, has no adult convictions … he denies the charges, bail should be granted," his defence lawyer Paul Crean told the court.
Prosecutors raised concerns of "ongoing" problems between families, but judge Dick Wallace said being a passenger did not mean Mr Thardim had any control over how a vehicle was used.
The three men will return to court at later dates.
Ongoing disputes in Wadeye
In a series of separate incidents, Northern Territory Police said 17 people were currently under investigation in the remote community, as violent riots continued to force people to flee.
Images, reportedly taken over the past few months, show several people have suffered arrow-related injuries in Wadeye.
In April, a 32-year-old man was charged with manslaughter after the death of an 18-year-old who was seriously injured in the violence.
Local leaders and traditional owners have been saddened by the conflict between youth.
They say a long history of policy failures, unemployment, overcrowding and ineffective rehabilitation services have contributed to decades of disputes between family groups.
During a recent NT budget estimates hearing, the deputy chief executive of the Territory Families and Housing department revealed that almost 550 people had been displaced from the community due to the unrest.
He also said the damage bill could exceed $5 million.
"There are 288 remote public housing properties in Wadeye, and we're talking today about 125 of those properties that have had some involvement in being damaged," Brent Warren said.
"At the moment, by our count, there's 545 people, adults and children who have been displaced, or who have chosen not to stay in town while the troubles are occurring."
NT Police said the situation in the remote community, about 420km south-west of Darwin, was "complex."
