Labrador boy, 15, charged over alleged armed robberies at Paradise Point and Underwood
A 15-year-old boy has been charged with a string of offences after an alleged crime spree where four vehicles were stolen, including two luxury models at knifepoint.
A 15-year-old boy has been charged with a string of offences after Gold Coast residents were allegedly threatened with a knife by a group of armed offenders on Tuesday.
Officers were called to O’Grady Drive at Paradise Point about 2am after a reported break and enter.
Police allege a group of armed offenders broke into the home and stole a 2023 grey Mercedes Benz GLE5.
When officers arrived, a 41-year-old male occupant was found with minor injuries to his left arm and face.
Shortly after the break-in, police found the allegedly stolen vehicle abandoned on the M1 near the exit 26 off-ramp at Shailer Park.
Forty minutes later, a second break and enter allegedly occurred at a property at The Crescent at Underwood.
Police allege the thieves stole a 2017 white BMW X5 and 2016 white Mercedes Benz E350 at knifepoint.
No one was physically injured.
Officers then saw the two allegedly stolen vehicles driving dangerously and travelling in convoy with a blue Ford Falcon on Reserve Road at Upper Coomera.
Police allege the Ford was stolen during a burglary at Cresswell Crescent at Upper Coomera around 3am.
A police vehicle and one of the allegedly stolen vehicles then collided, with the two occupants fleeing the scene.
The vehicle was searched and a firearm and knife were found inside.
The gun is understood to not be a real firearm.
The Ford was later found abandoned at Reserve Road at Upper Coomera about 3.30am.
A 15-year-old boy was taken into custody at Helensvale about 12pm on Tuesday.
Police have since charged the Labrador boy with 15 offences including three counts of enter a dwelling with intent, two counts each of unlawful use of a motor vehicle and face masked, blackened or disguised with intent commit indictable offence and a count each of armed robbery, enter a dwelling and commit, enter a premises, and attempted enter a premises.
He will front the Southport Childrens Court on Wednesday.
Detective Inspector Mark Mooney said police were treating the alleged events as a youth crime investigation and were searching for other members of the group who officers believe committed the robberies.
“We believe there were between three and five people sighted at the Paradise Point address, and definitely four, at the Underwood address,” he said.
“Obviously (the victims) are traumatised, it is a traumatic incident to occur.”
A Paterson Place resident, a few houses down from the O’Grady Drive crime scene, expressed surprise at such an incident occurring in the neighbourhood.
“We’re off a dead end road, that’s normally a great security feature, because I believe crooks, they go in somewhere and want to go out a different direction,” he said.
“If they come in here, as those guys had to, they had to go out the same way.”
Reflecting on the unexpected crime, the resident said he’ll set his burglar alarm more frequently.
“But there’s no point in panicking all of a sudden – we’ve got a security alarm, so if anybody tries to break in, the hooter goes off, and the people know and they send a car around.”
The resident added he was from “the bush”, where he never had to think about such safeguarding measures.
“We had no keys to the house. We drove into town. We left the keys in the car. Didn’t lock the front doors. You can’t do that now,” he said.
“What can the powers do? Put guards on every street corner?”
Investigations continue.
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Originally published as Labrador boy, 15, charged over alleged armed robberies at Paradise Point and Underwood
