Townsville youth crime: Residents in Bushland Beach targeted in overnight crime spree
A young car thief allegedly threatened to ‘come back and kill’ a resident who tackled him to the ground after getting caught breaking in during a crime spree. Find out what else happened overnight.
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A young car thief allegedly threatened to ‘come back and kill’ a resident who tackled him to the ground after getting caught breaking in during a crime spree in Bushland Beach.
The chilling incident occurred as police received multiple calls about young car thieves targeting homes along Deedes Crescent and Dugong Court in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The criminals struck first on Deedes Crescent, breaking into a home and stealing a Kia Sorento around 12.50am.
The homeowner woke to find an intruder with a flashlight in his room.
After chasing the intruder, the thief fled in the stolen Kia Sorento, joined by two other suspected stolen vehicles — a blue Subaru and an SUV.
The crime spree continued with two more calls from residents along Dugong Court reporting intruders in their homes around 1.45am.
In one incident, a brave male resident tackled one of the young thieves to the ground, only for the boy to escape.
The residents later posted security camera images online, claiming one of the thieves had threatened them, saying, “We are coming back to kill you.”
Police acted swiftly, using a tyre deflation device to stop the stolen Kia Sorento in Deeragun around 3.40am. The vehicle was recovered shortly after.
In a separate incident, a Ford Ranger stolen from Hubert Street in South Townsville was found burnt out along Wellington Street in Aitkenvale around 4.30am.
The crime wave did not end there. Later Thursday morning, police were called to Playtime Adventure Land and Cafe in West End after it was broken into.
Thieves had smashed through the front glass doors and rummaged through drawers and cupboards before fleeing with cash.
Investigations into all these incidents are ongoing.
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Originally published as Townsville youth crime: Residents in Bushland Beach targeted in overnight crime spree
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