Four teens charged, one on run after armed robberies, wild police chase
A cafe in a ritzy Brisbane suburb is among a number of premises allegedly held up at gunpoint by a group of teens as young as 14 who then led police on a wild chase in a stolen luxury car.
Police & Courts
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A group of teenagers have been charged after robbing multiple businesses at gunpoint and leaving a trail of destruction along the Pacific Motorway in a stolen car, where a woman and child were injured.
The crime spree, which the youths shared to social media, began about 3.30am on Sunday when a boy threatened an employee with a gun and demanded the till at a Gardiner Rd service station.
The employee complied and was not physically injured, but the boy left the scene in a blue 2014 Audi S3 reported stolen from a Helensvale property on Saturday night.
Five minutes later, a boy armed with a gun stole a cash register from a Juers Rd servo in Kingston and fled in the same car.
About 6am, the group targeted another business, this time a cafe on Alexandria St in Ascot, also robbing them with a weapon.
Tribe Coffee Co. in Ascot was also targeted, with hooded youths threatening a worker with guns while she was opening the store about 6am.
The woman knew something was strange when she saw people loitering around in the carpark.
Two of the youths then approached, one armed with a rifle and the other with a pistol, and demanded her belongings, yelling “all of it, all of it”.
CCTV footage shows the moment they approach her, dressed in caps and hoodies and holding weapons.
The employee is heard asking the boy “what’s that?”, and he replies “it’s a f--king gun, c--t”.
The thieves made off with her bag, which contained her phone and other items, but was unable to get into the till. Scared they would come back, the worker then hid in the backyard of a neighbouring house until they left and waited for help.
Tribe Coffee Co. owner Mark Hardingham said his staff member was “shaken”.
“It was pretty confronting for her,” Mr Hardingham said.
“She refused to open the cart and that scared them off. She thought something didn’t feel right.”
This is the third time in 14 months the shop has been targeted.
Mr Hardingham said youth crime was “beyond a joke”.
“You want to employ young people and give them a safe working environment, but what do you do,” he said.
“It’s sad, a crackdown is needed. It puts a lot of businesses at risk.”
The group then left and started driving towards the Gold Coast, where police tracked them with PolAir.
Footage taken by the youths, two aged 14, one aged 15 and one aged 18, inside the car show them holding up guns, flaunting the weapons.
“Look at this cuz,” one says in the video.
“Show them the guns, more guns cuz.”
About 9.30am, the Audi was sighted along the Pacific Motorway near Coomera before crashing into another car on Foxwell Rd about 9.50am.
Two people ran from the car on foot, injuring a woman and child along Beattie Dr during their attempt to flee.
Police had closed in and arrested them on Foxwell Rd. A firearm was also found nearby.
The other two teens took off in the Audi, but just after 10am a tyre deflection device was deployed at Logan and police took the pair into custody.
Police found another two guns in the car.
An 18-year-old Woodridge man was charged with armed robbery in company will appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court today.
A 15-year-old Crestmead boy has been charged with one count each of enter dwelling and commit, unlawful use of motor vehicle and armed robbery.
He is due to appear at Beenleigh Children’s Court at a later date.
A 15-year-old Coomera boy was charged with one count each of unlawful use of motor vehicle and dangerous operation of a vehicle.
A 14-year-old Eagleby boy was charged with one count each of unlawful use of motor vehicle and receiving tainted property.
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