AN ICE addict accelerated his car directly at police several times, forcing one officer under threat to open fire at the vehicle speeding towards him, a court has heard.
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Asador Mekonen Hinsta, 25, of Ravenswood, pleaded guilty at the last minute in the Launceston Supreme Court to two counts of Criminal Code assault, after a jury pool turned up expecting a trial yesterday.
Justice Robert Pearce further remanded Hinsta in custody and adjourned sentencing to today.
Crown prosecutor John Ransom told the court the state accepted that Hinsta's guilty pleas were on the basis that he made "threatening gestures".
Mr Ransom said that Hinsta accelerated his Ford Falcon XR6 sedan through a police road block on the Bass Highway near Deloraine, about 10am and 2pm on November 27, 2012.
There had been a serious multi-vehicle crash and Danny Cashion was the first policeman forced to jump out of Hinsta's path, otherwise he would have been hit.
Mr Ransom said Hinsta later hit a police motorcycle on Meander Valley Road near Hadspen, flinging officer Steve Ockerby to the ground.
Hinsta accelerated his car towards the officer and the policeman fired several shots at the car, which then crashed.
Mr Ransom handed up a victim impact statement from Mr Cashion and said the incident was one reason why the officer left the force.
Defence counsel Tamara Jago, SC, said her client never intended to physically harm the policemen.
Ms Jago said that Hinsta was using the drug ice at the time, which made him delusional.