Source : Perth Now news
Three teenagers have been nabbed in connection to a brazen alleged crime spree that saw lone women dragged, punched and robbed of their handbags.
A series of 21 robberies, armed robberies, aggravated burglaries, petrol drive-offs and other offences were allegedly carried out by a group of youths in Melbourne’s southeast and Bayside areas last week.
Several teenagers allegedly used two cars, which were stolen from outside a Glen Waverley gym on September 21, to execute a series of violent robberies on members of the public outside shopping centres and commercial strips.
A cluster of violent incidents on September 24 saw a 64-year-old woman allegedly dragged by several offenders at a set of traffic lights outside Chadstone Shopping Centre around 7.45pm, before her groceries were stolen.
A short time later a woman in the same area was allegedly punched in the face and had her designer purse snatched.
A third woman was shoved to the ground and had her bag stolen on the Princes Highway in Clayton around 8pm.
Later, a fourth woman had her handbag taken as she left a hairdresser in Highett, police allege.
About 8.40pm the offenders allegedly chased a male convenience store worker with a machete before stealing cash from the store. The victim was not physically injured.
Two earlier incidents, in which a 74-year-old and 54-year-old woman allegedly had their bags snatched in separate incidents on Beach Road in Beaumaris and Bluff Road in Highett, may also be connected, police allege.
Two 16-year-old boys and an 18-year-old man were arrested in a series of police raids in Springvale and the Greater Dandenong area on Wednesday.
Charges are yet to be been laid over the bag snatchings, police said, but the trio was charged with a string of other theft-related offences including multiple counts of aggravated burglary and theft of a motor vehicle.
The 18-year-old, from Springvale in Melbourne’s southeast, was remanded to appear before Dandenong Magistrates’ Court later on Thursday charged with nine offences.
The first 16-year-old was bailed to appear before a children’s court at a later date on six theft-related charges.
The second 16-year-old, whose charges included two counts of committing an indictable offence whilst on bail, was remanded to appear at a children’s court later on Thursday.
Investigations remain ongoing.
