Rochedale South residents terrorised by armed gang trying to break into homes

A group of hooded offenders armed with knives, a machete and tools have left a trail of destruction and fear in their wake, following a violent crime spree across Brisbane’s south and beyond. WATCH THE VIDEO

Police are searching for a group of armed offenders who have left a trail of destruction and fear in their wake, following a violent crime spree across Brisbane’s south and beyond.

Officers are working to determine whether multiple offences that occurred across Carindale, Rochedale South, Eagleby, Underwood and Manly West in which homes, businesses and cars were targeted, are all linked.

Following one incident, residents of Rochedale South in Brisbane’s south say they are too scared to walk their children to school after a group of hooded offenders was caught on film stalking local streets in broad daylight with machetes, knives and crowbars. 

Footage obtained by The Courier-Mail shows the group checking the front doors of homes.

Resident Brenda Owen said she didn’t feel any more threatened than any other day because “it’s just what Brisbane has become”.

“It is happening night after night after night, it just doesn’t stop across Brisbane. We are very sick of it.

“There are people who are getting really pissed off, and if they happen to be targeting those people, I don’t know what could happen.”

She said residents had been able to keep track of the group via social media posts.

Residents have expressed fears about A person captured on CCTV footage at Rochedale South, where residents fear for their safety.

A neighbour said his wife was home alone when she saw the group of masked men holding knives in the back yard.

“They were next door first before us, and then they just bolted to the car and sped across to the house a couple streets away,” he said.

The neighbour said his wife didn’t sleep much last night and has been stressed about the confrontation.

“I filled a police report, it’s been over 24 hours and not even a phone call,” he said.

Rochedale South man Damion Douglass said he had received a flood of reports from locals to his community patrol group about the offenders.

“We received that surveillance and immediately we sent that information on to police,” Mr Douglass said. 

“The reports came from frightened residents at home with children, and they were also worried about walking their kids to school, and they wanted to know if it was going to be okay.

“They were breaking into homes, walking down the street with machetes and one report of a steel metal bar.” 

Mr Douglass said while his community-led patrol group, which was formed online, has foiled a few break-ins, he does not want to continue to take “matters into his own hands”.

“We are not getting any communication from the police … we are not hearing from our local member, what’s going on, what’s the plan?”

Mr Douglass said his group had grown to 2700 members with volunteers who monitoring streets of interest.

“We are impressed with the turnout. These people are pretty scared,” he said.

“We are to the point where security companies are contacting us and asking where we can help? The reason people are contacting us is because they are scared of retribution.”

Thieves breaking into La Carne butchery at Manly West.

Police are investigating whether the same group is responsible for a break-in at a butcher in Manly West early on Monday morning, where they used a trolley, crowbars and a mallet to gain entry, and the theft of two cars and jewellery and electronics from multiple suburbs in Brisbane and Logan.

In footage from La Carne Butchery, a man wearing the same checkered backpack that was captured in surveillance footage shared to The Courier-Mail from the streets of Rochedale South can be seen.

Owner Ben Dau said the front doors and some equipment were damaged in the break-in, which happened about 3.30am, but he was able to continue trading.

The group left empty handed in a blue van.

“It was inconvenient for us, the first time we have been broken into in the two years we have been there,” Mr Dau said.

Most concerningly, Mr Dau said hours after the alleged break-in, he received a threatening phone call from a person he believed was one of the members of the group.

“I got a phone call Monday night at 6.30 from a private number and five-second call ‘do you think you’re a hard c**t’ and one of my butchers got the same call a minute after that,” Mr Dau said.

“Everyone is s**t scared and [it’s a] pain in the arse the damage they cause for nothing really.

“No one wants to be broken in to and it’s worrying that they keep getting away with it and go on these crime sprees.”

Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber on Wednesday defended the state’s Making Queensland Safer Laws when asked if the armed offenders and chain of break-ins indicated they were not working.

She said more time was needed for these laws to make a difference, at the same time she announced expert legal panels who would advise on their expansion.

While not specifying how much more time was needed, Ms Gerber said increased sentencing was sinking in with youth locked away in detention centres, and this was making a difference.

She recognised more changes would be needed to resolve the issues within a generation of youth criminals.

She would not confirm if a gang targeting suburbs such as Rochedale were serious repeat offenders during an ongoing police investigation, but said they would face adult time and that the Queensland Government had been meeting its promises.

A masked person caught on security camera in Rochedale South.

“We’ve been up front with Queenslanders that it will take time for those laws to work through the system and take effect,” she said.

“We promised Queenslanders these laws would be law before Christmas, we delivered on that promise. And we also promised Queenslanders that there would be further changes, that there would need to be other tranches, that Adult Crime, Adult Time would need more offences potentially added to it.

“And that is what we’re delivering today with the expert legal panel.”

A group armed with a mallet, crowbars and a trolley broke in to La Carne Butchery in Manly West.

Police are investigating a string of other incidents across Brisbane, including the theft of two cars from a Carindale property on Monday night before further crimes were committed in nearby suburbs.

Between 10pm on Monday and 5.30am on Tuesday, a Melaleuca Place property at Carindale was broken in to, with a white Hyundai Tucson and grey Lexus 300 stolen.

Police allege the vehicles were then used in a burglary at an Oakwood St address in Capalaba, between 6.30am and 7.30am, where various jewellery and electronics were stolen.

“The vehicles have also been linked to four break-and-enters at Eagleby, Underwood and Rochedale South between 7.45am and 9.15am, where the group was observed to be armed with knives and a crowbar,” police said in a statement.

A bag with identical straps was seen in footage from Rochedale as well as this CCTV from the Manly West store.

The group used a trolley to break in to the store.

“It is further understood the group was involved in a break and enter at a Shangani Close home at Eight Mile Plains around 8:30am, where a woman was assaulted and threatened with a knife and crowbar before jewellery and a Honda HR-V were stolen.

“The woman was not physically injured.”

The white Hyundai was located abandoned at Slacks Creek about 10am, the Honda HR-V was found abandoned at Woodridge just after 9pm on Tuesday night, while the grey Lexus remains outstanding.

“Initial investigations indicate a black Toyota Estima stolen from Regents Park on February 7 is connected to the offences,” a Queensland police spokesperson said.

The Courier-Mail understands the group is still on the run.

Investigations are continuing into the incidents and police are appealing for anyone with information or relevant footage to come forward.

“Investigations remain ongoing to determine if the incidents are connected to other property crime offences reported in recent days,” a QPS spokesperson said.