A man has admitted his part of a roadside drug deal turned robbery at a Riverina highway rest-spot.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ahmad El-Hajjar, of Ambarvale in Sydney, pleaded guilty to four counts including firing a firearm in a public place and robbery while armed with a dangerous weapon in Wagga District Court this week.
Other charges included possessing an unregistered and unathourised firearm and using an offensive weapon with the intent to commit an indictable offence.
The wild exchange began at a Sturt Highway roadside rest stop at Borambola in the early hours of November 21 when two parties arrived for a drug deal.
The victims brought $3000 in cash with them to purchase the drugs as previously arranged.
Shortly after their arrival El-Hajjar, 28, inquired about the money, which the victim was counting, before grabbing it out of his hand.
At this point the victim spotted a firearm concealed under El-Hajjar’s shirt and dived out of the car and onto the ground.
Shortly after the victim heard a gunshot and bullet pass by the left side of his head.
He started running and heard another two gunshots.
El-Hajjar then grabbed a second victim and pressed the firearm against his neck, saying words to the effect of “don’t you remember who I am – you owe me money”.
The victim pushed El-Hajjar off and ran off toward their car, hearing gunshots as he ran.
Both groups got back in their car and drove toward Gundagai, with the victims following in a high speed chase.
At some point the two cars came into contact, causing the vehicle El-Hajjar was a passenger in to lose control.
As the car passed the Borambola Sports and Recreation Centre, it veered onto the opposite side of the road before colliding with a mound of dirt.
The impact dislodged the bumper but it wasn’t long until they were off again, this time with El-Hajjar at the wheel, as the victims continued their chase.
El-Hajjar then collided with a road cutting and came to rest in the middle of the road, before jumping a farm fence. Police arrived about 1.30am and found a pistol on the front seat, along with El-Hajjar’s sneaker.
El-Hajjar was arrested after police found $3535 in his pocket and tests revealed he had methamphetamine in his system. He will be sentenced on June 1 and remains behind bars.
