Gang of youths, some as young as 10, allegedly unleash violent rampage at Plympton bottle shop
Two more children have been arrested over a violent attack on a suburban bottle-o after police located the wanted boys almost 24 hours later.
Two more boys have been arrested and were held in custody overnight after police found the wanted duo after Monday night’s allegedly violent rampage at a Plympton bottle-o.
A group of up to 12 youths, one as young as 10, allegedly terrorised staff at an Anzac Hwy bottle shop in a violent attack after an attempt to steal alcohol.
The group – which police say were aged between just 10 and 17 – threw rocks, smashed windows while one threw a metal star dropper at staff and another punched a staff member in the face multiple times at The Highway Thirsty Camel.
Five youths were arrested at the scene and then on Tuesday night at about 8pm officers found a suspect and an associate walking along Sturt Rd at Seacombe Gardens.
When approached by police, both boys ran – one was stopped nearby while the other fled.
A search of the area, assisted the police helicopter, located the second boy in the front yard of a nearby address.
A 15-year-old boy from Plympton Park was charged with five counts of theft, two counts of breach of bail, and one count of affray relating to the Plympton incident.
A 14-year-old boy from Clovelly Park was charged with two counts of breach of bail, one count of breaching a transport barring order, and four counts of theft.
The duo will apear in the Adelaide Youth Court on Wednesday.
The chaos broke out just after 10pm when police were called to the corner of Marion Rd and Anzac Hwy at Plympton.
Staff reported two female youths had allegedly attempted to steal alcohol from the store but were confronted by security and the duo pair were told to leave and initially complied.
However, they soon returned with a group of about 10 to 12 youths and the group began throwing rocks and smashing windows and staff were assaulted.
One youth allegedly threw a metal star dropper at an employee while another allegedly repeatedly punched an employee in the face.
Five youths were identified and arrested on the scene, with investigations continuing to identify and locate the others involved.
The arrested teens include a 14-year-old girl from Christies Beach, a 14-year-old girl from Christie Downs and a 15-year-old girl from Woodcroft who were all charged with aggravated affray.
A Happy Valley boy, 17, was charged with aggravated affray and breach of bail and a Clovelly Park boy, 14, was charged with aggravated assault, aggravated affray and property damage. All were granted bail and will appear in the Adelaide YouthCourt on December 11.
Hugo Burton, chief executive of Palmer Hospitality Group, that owns the Highway Hotel and Thirsty Camel, said the incident had left him “frustrated”.
Staff were unharmed but “flustered”, he said.
“We’re talking to the staff non-stop. I think there are a couple that have been affected and their wellbeing is the top of our priority list,” he said.
He said when staff had to remove people from premises is when “things get out of hand”.
