By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
FIVE teenagers have been caught after a dramatic crime spree through Casey this month which involved a number of violent car-jackings, along with a 14-year-old boy being robbed in broad daylight.
In one of the car jackings the offenders allegedly pulled over a 2015 Mercedes-Benz and dragged the driver out of the car before making off in his vehicle.
Meanwhile other cars were stolen after thieves broke into residents’ homes while they were sleeping and grabbed their car keys.
The teens, all aged 16 and 17, were arrested last Thursday in Cranbourne and Dandenong in the early hours of the morning.
One has been remanded in custody while the other four have been charged and released on summons.
Beginning Sunday 5 July the teens were purported to have been involved in several car-jackings and home thefts which allegedly saw them steal a 2011 Audi Q5 from Waterways, a 2015 Mercedez Benz C200, a 2010 Audi A3, a 2015 Subaru Liberty and a Hyundai Santa Fe.
During one incident about midday on Tuesday 7 July the offenders confronted a victim in the Dandenong Plaza car park and demanded he hand over the keys to his Holden Commodore. When the victim refused, the offenders smashed his car with a stick and ran off.
An hour later the same offenders confronted a 14-year-old boy in Dunblane Road, Noble Park, and stole his bag and mobile phone.
That night, about 8pm, the group used the stolen 2011 Audi to force a passing driver in a 2015 Mercedes Benz to pull over on Phillip Road in Hallam.
The offenders then converged on the car, dragged the victim out of the driver’s seat and used his keys to flee in the vehicle.
Police found the stolen Audi a couple of days later dumped in Pepperbush Circuit, Cranbourne.
On Thursday 9 July, about 3am, police arrested three offenders at a property in Kirkham Road, Dandenong South, and another two at a property in Cranbourne.
Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Darron Hedge said police had been called to an increasing number of garage burglaries where doors were left open and keys were taken from inside homes and used to steal cars – with those involved believed to be associating with the same groups committing the car-jackings.
He said it was hard to believe the number of garage doors being left unlocked.
“Imagine if you were home and woke up to a group of offenders in your house – it would be quite horrific,” Act Sen Sgt Hedge said.
“People need to start having a look at their own security, especially at night.”
Detective Sergeant Rodney Maroney, from the Embona Taskforce investigating armed robberies, said police were “happy to get the offenders off the street”.
“They were doing a mini crime spree and it wasn’t going to stop until they were arrested,” he said.
The investigation is ongoing.
