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Suspected hit-run driver Sebastian Kennett arrested in Blackburn South

A man suspected of killing a nurse in a hit-and-run crash and who was behind the wheel in another crash years ago that killed his friend has been arrested after a three-day police hunt.

Sebastian Kennett, 20, has been on the run since he allegedly smashed a stolen white Lexus into a Toyota Yaris in Oakleigh on Monday night, killing the driver, 53-year-old nurse Lynda Hansen, who was on her way home from work.

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Sebastian Kennett, 20, allegedly smashed a stolen car into a Toyota, which killed the driver, Lynda Hansen.

He was arrested with two other men at a house in Fulton Road in Blackburn South on Thursday night. 

The three men are being interviewed by police and no charges have been laid.

Kennett has a lengthy criminal history dating back years.

He was jailed for six months in June this year at the Frankston Magistrates Court for a string of charges including unlicensed driving, theft of a motor vehicle, driving while disqualified, criminal damage and breaching bail conditions.

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Fairfax Media is unable to confirm why Kennett was free at the time of fatal crash.

Police said Kennett drove through a red light moments before he allegedly ploughed into Ms Hansen's car at the intersection of Warrigal Road and Barkly Street.

Residents who heard a loud bang went outside and pulled Ms Hansen from her car and tried to save her life.

Witnesses said the driver, who looked dazed, stopped and was asked if he was OK by bystanders at the scene.

He responded, "Just give me a couple of minutes", before running from the crash, sparking a massive police manhunt. 

Kennett was previously jailed in 2015 for driving while unlicensed, possessing amphetamine, failing to stop for police and breaching bail conditions.

A family member of Aaron Piroska,16, who was killed in a crash when Kennett was behind the wheel, has questioned how he was able to pass in and out of prison without appearing to show any signs of rehabilitation.

"The disappointment my family and I feel at how our justice system has let this poor woman down is heartbreaking," she said. "My deepest sympathy to this lady's family."

Kennett was seen speeding along a residential street moments before the car rolled. Aaron, who was a passenger in the car with six other teenagers, was thrown from the vehicle and died before paramedics arrived. 

Two other seriously injured passengers were taken to hospital. Kennett suffered critical head injuries.

A woman who knew the families involved said it was an indictment of the justice system that the latest fatal accident appears to have so closely mirrored the circumstances of the earlier crash.

"There is something seriously wrong with our legal and rehabilitation system if a kid can end up in this situation."

Kennett's friend Jasmine Boulter told Fairfax Media on Wednesday the suspect planned to hand himself in to police. 

"He's a good kid, he honestly had no idea how bad it [the crash] was," she said. "He's real remorseful for his actions and will be handing himself in." 

On Wednesday, Detective Senior Sergeant Bradley McArthur said police were stepping up their search and would not stop until Kennett was found.

"This fellow won't be able to go anywhere without members of the public recognising him, and there may be people who know where he is right now and they may be in jeopardy of being prosecuted for helping him evade arrest by police," he said.

Kennett is described as being about 181 centimetres tall, "chubby or obese", with a "boofy Afro-style hair, distinctively stocky legs".

At the time of the crash he was wearing grey or black three-quarter-length cargo or board shorts and a grey T-shirt, police said.

Ms Hansen's family said in a statement they were "shocked and devastated" by her death.