Melbourne north and northwest crime: Craigieburn teen accused of mugging two men arrested
A Craigieburn teenager accused of mugging two men in broad daylight has been arrested by PSOs, while weapons, drugs and stolen vehicles have been seized during raids at four homes in Keilor and Sunshine. See the crimes making news in the north.
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A Craigieburn teenager accused of mugging two men in broad daylight has been arrested by protective services officers.
A pair of 23-year-olds were walking along Benston St about 5pm on November 2, near Craigieburn train station, when they were allegedly set on by an 18-year-old man who demanded their possessions.
Hume detective Senior Sergeant Ray Freeman said the trio were involved in a short scuffle before the teenager got away with a wallet.
He said the victims reported the incident to PSOs at the station who located the suspect nearby. Police recovered the wallet during the arrest. The teen was charged with robbery and was bailed to appear at Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court on April 20 next year.
CRAIGIEBURN
A suspected stolen motorised scooter has been set alight under a bridge in Craigieburn. Firefighters were called to the blaze in Hothlyn Drive just after midnight on November 1. Hume detective Senior Sergeant Ray Freeman said police were having trouble identifying where the scooter came from as it was unregistered but believe it may have been stolen.
ROXBURGH PARK
Detectives are still hunting a fire bug they believe is responsible for more than a dozen blazes across Roxburgh Park, Craigieburn and Mickleham. Firefighters extinguished small grass fires on October 31 at the intersection of St Clair Blvd and Roxburgh Park Drive about 4.15pm and at a vacant lot on Moncton Way, Mickleham about 3.50pm. Fires were also lit on November 2 in Tusmore Rise, Craigieburn about 2am, the corner of Donvale Ave and Hayfield Drive in Roxburgh Park about 3am and Kennedy Pde, Roxburgh Park just before 8am. Hume detective Senior Sergeant Ray Freeman said all fires had been deemed suspicious and police believed they were linked.
CRAIGIEBURN / MERNDA
A stolen silver Holden Commodore was torched in Amaroo Rd, Craigieburn about 6am on November 3. The car was stolen from Mernda. The car was towed for forensic examination.
CAMPBELLFIELD / ASCOT VALE
A stolen Mercedes van was destroyed by fire in Mimosa Ave, Campbellfield just after midnight on November 4. Hume detective Senior Sergeant Ray Freeman said the van was stolen from Ascot Vale between October 19-22. The car was towed for forensic examination.
PRESTON
Police are appealing for help to try a catch a thief who used a stolen credit card in Preston. The credit card was stolen from a car parked in Shower St, Preston overnight on October 19. Leading Senior Constable Melissa Seach said the card was used just after 6am on October 20 at a service station on Bell St. “(A man) purchased cigarettes and other items and also attended other retail outlets in the area,” she said. The man is described as 30 to 45-years-old, 175cm tall with a tattoo on his left hand. Police have released an image a man who they believe may be able to assist.
BRAYBROOK
A cryptocurrency ATM in Braybrook has been seized and a Cairnlea man faces counter-terrorism and money laundering charges over an alleged cryptocurrency scam. Police raided the 38-year-old man’s home in Cairnlea in Melbourne’s northwest on November 12 in one of the first arrests by the e-crime squad relating to cryptocurrency transactions. The joint operation by Victoria Police and federal government agency AUSTRAC has been running since June, after reports of scam activity linked to a cryptocurrency ATM in a shopping centre in Braybrook. Police also seized cash and false identification documents during their search of the man’s house. He was questioned in relation to federal offences relating to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 and dealing with property reasonably suspected of being proceeds of crime. AUSTRAC’s acting intelligence operations national manager David Hawkins said the arrest demonstrated the close collaboration between the Federal Government and Victoria Police.
GLADSTONE PARK
A woman’s car was impounded after being caught allegedly driving without a licence and speeding in Gladstone Park on November 13. The 44-year-old was clocked at 48km/h in a school zone on Taylor Drive about 2.50pm. The Gladstone Park woman’s vehicle was impounded at the cost of $896 and she will be charged on summons.
BRUNSWICK WEST
A woman was taken to hospital with serious head injuries after she was hit by a car in Brunswick West on November 11.
KEILOR
Weapons, drugs and stolen vehicles have been seized by police during raids at four homes in Keilor and Sunshine. Officers recovered two stolen cars and one stolen motorcycle, while nine other vehicles were impounded. Police seized cannabis, cannabis plants, methylamphetamine, a taser, baton, flick knife, sword, imitation firearm and shotgun rounds during the November 12 search. Nine men and a woman were arrested and charged with a variety of offences including car theft, drug possession, drug cultivation and drug trafficking. They will all face court at a later date. The arrests were part of Operation Artsop, an investigation targeting residential and commercial burglaries, vehicle crime and robberies in Brimbank.
RESERVOIR / THOMASTOWN / ELTHAM
Police have asked for public help to find 37-year-old woman Kym Hellmuth. She is wanted on warrants for failing to appear at court for drug and driving related charges. She is caucasian with a slim build and has short blonde hair with dark roots. She is known to frequent Reservoir, Thomastown, Eltham and Box Hill and may be travelling in a 2017 White VW Tiguan registered ANU313.
COBURG
A smoke alarm has helped save a four people, including an 80-year-old woman, from a fire in their Coburg home. Firefighters were called to the blaze in Champ St about 5.40am on November 14 and arrived to find the roof on fire. The occupants were alerted to the fire by smoke alarms and able to escape. Four crews and 14 firefighters quickly contained the fire to the bathroom and brought it under control in 10 minutes. The cause of the fire was electrical.
TULLAMARINE
Passengers were evacuated from a plane at Melbourne Airport on November 4 after a mystery substance was found inside an overhead compartment. The MFB said 20 people were removed from the aircraft and their crews found approximately 3g of an unknown substance in an overhead luggage compartment. Hazmat technicians donned chemical splash suits and took a sample of the substance for testing, with early tests indicating the substance was not toxic. The substance, a white powder, will be analysed further but has been declared safe. Aircraft rescue firefighting, police and ambulance units attended.
FAIRFIELD
An unknown object dropped from a bridge hit a car on the Eastern Freeway at Fairfield. Police are appealing for witnesses after a white 2015 Honda HRV was damaged as she passed under the Yarra Bend Rd bridge about 11.30am on October 6. The object struck the front passenger side of the car. The woman driving was uninjured but the car sustained damage to the front and rear passenger side doors. Police would like to hear from anyone with information about the incident or any drivers who may have dashcam footage from the area at the time.
PRESTON / COOLAROO / THOMASTOWN
Three men accused of robbing a teenager trying to sell a Rolex watch have been arrested. Detectives have charged a Preston man, 20, a Thomastown man, 19, and a Coolaroo man, 22, with armed robbery after the alleged hold up at a Whitehorse Rd service station in Blackburn about 9pm on October 9. “The Mount Waverley man was assaulted and had his watch stolen during the alleged incident,” police spokeswoman Kelly Grindley said. “He received head injuries as a result of the incident and was taken to hospital.” Detectives raided properties in Preston, Coolaroo and Thomastown about 6.30am on November 6.
ELTHAM
Two garbage bins were set alight in Nyora Rd, Eltham in the early hours on November 2. Police said both bins were destroyed by fire about 2.30am with people heard running away through neighbouring properties immediately after the bins were set alight. Anyone with information is urged to contact Senior Constable Gareth Hadden at Heidelberg Crime Investigation Unit on 9450 8000 or Crime Stoppers.
OPERATION FURLONG
Highway Patrol caught 821 drivers speeding across Moreland, Banyule, Moonee Valley, Darebin, Whittlesea, Hume, Nillumbik and Macedon Ranges as part of a five-day road operation across the Melbourne Cup long weekend as part of Operation Furlong. Police also nabbed 34 people for drink driving, 53 who were disqualified and 69 unlicensed, and 208 with unregistered vehicles. More than 300 drivers were fined for disobeying signs or signals, 23 were found to be driving with drugs in their system. Police targeted dangerous smartphone addicts behind the wheel and pulled over 299 drivers for the offence. “We shouldn’t have to remind people of the dangers of drink and drug driving, of not wearing seatbelts, of using your phone while driving, yet here we are again seeing people blatantly disregarding the law,” Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane said.