A tragedy: Teen drowned while fleeing police in Old

A Queensland coroner has found a teenager drowned following his older brother into the Ross River in Townsville, as they tried to evade police.

Robert Malayta, 18, was a passenger in a stolen car driven by his brother Shakur McLennan, when police stopped the vehicle, forcing the young men to run into the river in February 2022.

Coroner Terry Ryan said police acted appropriately and adequately in the lead-up to the tragedy and that there were no suspicious circumstances leading up to the death.

The inquest was told Mr McLennan had gone to his brother’s house at about 2am on the day of incident.

It is believed the older brother was affected by meth addiction and the pair left planning to drive around the city.

But police spotted the stolen vehicle and used a tyre deflating systems to stop the car.

The brothers then abandoned the car and jumped into the river to escape. The younger brother drowned when caught up in heavy weed.

Police found the body the next day after his family had reported him missing.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service voiced concern that police did not act quickly enough, a point rejected by the coroner, who said police had not been able to identify either brother that night.