Man charged after stealing Kyrgios' car, threatening player's mother

[May 02, 2023]  MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australian police have charged a man with armed robbery and accused him of threatening Nick Kyrgios' mother at gunpoint before stealing the Australian tennis player's car, local media reported on Tuesday.  

Tennis - ATP Finals Turin - Pala Alpitour, Turin, Italy - November 14, 2022 Australia's Nick Kyrgios during the group stage doubles match against Britain's Neal Skupski and Netherlands' Wesley Koolhof REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

The 32-year-old Canberra suspect appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday to face five charges, including failure to stop for police and driving while suspended, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said, citing court documents.

He was denied bail.

An ACT policing statement on Monday said police had received a report that a man had threatened a woman with a firearm and allegedly stolen a car.

The statement said police formed a cordon to intercept the man.

He was arrested in Canberra and the vehicle was recovered about 9:05 a.m. on Monday, about half an hour after the alleged offence began.

The ABC said the man had pointed a long-barrelled gun at Kyrgios's mother Norlaila and demanded the keys to a green Tesla.

Kyrgios helped police track down the car by using a location app on his phone, the ABC added, citing court documents.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Christina Fincher)

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