Teens arrested at Gold Coast McDonald’s days after leaving Melbourne

Three teens found sleeping in stolen cars at a Gold Coast McDonald’s have been arrested after an alleged break-and-enter spree from Melbourne to Brisbane.

The McDonald's restaurant on Hinkler Dr in Nerang on the Gold Coast. Picture: Google Maps.

A 14-year-old girl missing from Melbourne has been found sleeping in a stolen vehicle in the car park of a Gold Coast McDonald’s.

The teen was in the company of two other juveniles – boys aged 14 and 15 – when police arrested them at the fast food giant’s Nerang outlet on Hinkler Dr at about 6.30am on Saturday.

The trio, who are well known to authorities in Victoria, are believed by police to have made their way to Queensland from Melbourne in a succession of stolen vehicles after setting off on September ninth or tenth.

They are also suspected of having been involved in break and enter offences, with ten sets of keys recovered by police.

They arrived at the McDonald’s at 3.30am on Saturday in a Range Rover which had allegedly been stolen from a Merrimac home hours early while a young family were sleeping.

“It’s just so scary and the thing is we don’t know how they got in,” the vehicle owners said, speaking anonymously to 7News.

“Knowing our kids were here was really all we care about.”

The woman said she didn’t know her car was gone until the next morning.

“I woke up at 5am – we were looking for the car keys and couldn’t find them.”

The owner reportedly used her mobile phone to track the Range Rover to a 7-Eleven in Ashmore where it is alleged her credit card was used to try and make payments.

CCTV footage of the Range Rover allegedly being stolen. Picture: 7News.

A day earlier, police allege the same group of teens stole a BMW at knife point from a grandmother in the Brisbane suburb of Carindale.

The grandmother, who asked to be identified only as “Darshi”, told 9 Gold Coast News she was assaulted by people who were dressed head to toe in black.

“He (offender) openned my car door and he said get out from the car,” Darshi said.

“I did not go out, but he showed me a knife.”

Officers caught up with the trio of teens after a manager at McDonalds called police to say there were youths sleeping in the two cars, which he suspected might be stolen.

“Sure enough he was on the money,” Gold Coast Superintendent Peter Miles said.

“Police attended. They arrested those three and quickly worked out that the 14-year-old girl was a missing child from Melbourne.”

Supt Miles said police in Queensland were working with their Victorian and NSW colleagues to put together a timeline of the trio’s movements as they made their way to the Gold Coast, where it is believed they were intending on meeting up with associates.

A stolen car found abandoned in NSW was believed linked to the trio, but it was unclear what they were driving when they entered Queensland.

Police are investigating whether the trio committed further offences on their 1700km road trip.

Supt Miles said parents had been contacted and were looking to make their way to Queensland.

“We’ve got some pretty committed parents wanting to get up here, especially of the missing girl.” he said. “We’ve been liaising with Victorian Police to get them up here to sit in interviews.”

Superintendent Peter Miles. Picture: Keith Woods.

He praised the actions of the McDonald’s manager who reported his suspicions to police, saying it likely prevented other crimes from being committed.

“They’d been there (at McDonald’s Nerang) for quite a while. It was early identified that they looked a bit young to be in the driver’s seat of a car,” Supt Miles said.

“He (the manager) put two and two together and was on the money, and we appreciate the call.

“It stopped potentially what was going to be a further crime spree, because I would have thought that until arrested they would have continued on their way committing offences and making more and more people victims of crime.

“So we’re very grateful for that phone call.”

The three teenagers were charged with armed robbery, enter dwelling and intent, unlawful use of motor vehicles, fraud – dishonestly make off without paying, enter dwelling and commit, bringing stolen good into Queensland and receiving tainted property.

They were due to appear in Southport Children's Court on Monday.

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