CANBERRA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Police in Australia's Northern Territory (NT) are searching for a man who assaulted a member of the defense force and stole a vehicle after breaking into an air force base.
A spokesperson for the Department of Defense told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday that the incident occurred at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Darwin on Monday afternoon.
"The individual allegedly assaulted a defense force member and proceeded to leave the base in a stolen vehicle," the spokesperson said.
The incident triggered lockdown procedures and protocols, with the Joint Military Police Unit, Australian Federal Police and NT Police all responding.
NT Police said that officers pursued the stolen vehicle on the Stuart Highway, which spans over 2,500 km from Darwin through central Australia, but eventually lost sight of it. ■