Police rammed a car and shot out a tyre to stop a wanted man who then doused himself in fuel before being pulled out of the vehicle in an operation involving up to 40 officers.
Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley said a 33-year-old man wanted for a breach of parole was being tracked in Darwin on Wednesday when the incident occurred at Rapid Creek.
"He's a guy who has a very violent history. We know him very well," he told reporters.
Because of the known criminal history of the man, recently released from prison, the NT Police fugitive task group and tactical response group were engaged, with up to 40 officers involved in the arrest operation.
The man was driving dangerously in Darwin's northern suburbs on Wednesday afternoon when officers did a "tactical vehicle interdiction", crashing a Landcruiser head on into his vehicle to disable it, Mr Malley said.
