Fugitive douses himself in fuel during dramatic Darwin arrest

A man on the run from police doused himself in fuel after officers fired a shot into his car tyre in a dramatic arrest on a Darwin main road this afternoon.

NT Police Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley said police had attempted to arrest the 33-year-old yesterday for a breach of parole conditions, when the man ran his car into an officer.

"The police officer didn't suffer any serious injuries, but was taken to hospital for assessment, and the person that we wanted sped away from the scene and we knew who he was," Assistant Commissioner Malley said.

"He's a guy who has a very violent history and we know him very well.

"He was the fellow that you would have seen on the media a while ago in Hungry Jack's, where the plain-clothes police officer was standing on the bonnet with a shotgun pointed at him."

Earlier today, in a social media post, police called for the public to be on the lookout for 33-year-old Frank Ingram, warning people not to approach him.

Mr Ingram was involved in a very public arrest at a fast-food outlet in Coolalinga, in Darwin's rural area, in 2023.

Assistant Commissioner Maley said Mr Ingram was wanted for breaching parole conditions relating to his 2023 arrest.

He said earlier today, police had been surveilling Mr Ingram and had located him at an address in the Darwin suburb of Karama, but the fugitive had driven through a fence, evading officers.

He was later seen driving dangerously around Darwin's northern suburbs, Assistant Commissioner Malley said.

"He's a violent criminal," he said.

"In terms of being armed, we didn't believe he was armed, but then you'd never know. So we were just prepared for whatever he would do."

Mr Ingram was arrested just before 3pm today in his vehicle on Trower Road, in Rapid Creek, near the intersection with Francis Street.

"One of the tactical response guys went forward and with a 12-gauge shotgun, put a shot into one of the front tyres to further disable the vehicle," Assistant Commissioner Malley said.

"We then went forward and with fire extinguishers as well, we caved in the back window of the vehicle and pulled him out."

He said although Mr Ingram was uninjured, he was taken to hospital for assessment, and police expected to charge him tonight.

The assistant commissioner said "up to 40 officers" had assisted with the arrest.

"We had the whole of the TRG [Territory Response Group], the whole of the Fugitive Task Force, the surveillance staff, so you're talking probably up to 40 officers," he said.