The riots were sparked by a high-speed police pursuit on 25 February through the Glenquarie housing estate in the south-west Sydney suburb of Macquarie Fields.
The chase resulted in the driver, 20-year-old Jesse Kelly, crashing the stolen vehicle into a tree and killing his two passengers, 17-year-old Dylan Raywood and 19-year-old Matthew Robertson.
[2] Premier of New South Wales Bob Carr mobilised hundreds of police, including heavily armed riot squads into the area.
The police were criticised at the time for not acting to quell the disturbances quickly enough, with some arguing the riots could have been ended in their first day had a more aggressive stance been adopted.
In October 2006, Jesse Kelly was formally charged after admitting two counts of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death and was sentenced to 5 years' jail.