Cleveland Momia: Dandenong teen fronts court over drive-by shooting
A Dandenong man was with his pals when decided to do a drive-by shooting as revenge against a machete-wielding gatecrasher —- but he has an interesting excuse.
South East
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A Dandenong drunk linked to a drive-by shooting where a Rowville home was peppered with bullets has walked from court.
Cleveland Momia was inside a stolen van involved in the revenge attack, but was so intoxicated he had passed out and didn’t know what was happening.
He woke to loud gunshots before being driven back to a party to continue drinking.
Now 21, Momia pleaded guilty to vehicle theft and possessing ammunition charges at the online Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Other more serious charges against the factory worker relating to the shooting were dropped prior to the hearing.
The court heard in March 2018 the then 18-year-old had been at a party in Oakleigh East with some friends when a man not known to him gatecrashed the gathering.
The male was brandishing a machete, but couldn’t locate the person he was looking for and left.
After he had gone Momia was told to get in a white Mazda van, which he knew was stolen, and ordered to put on a hoodie and don a pair of gloves.
But he was so plastered he just passed out in the back of the vehicle.
When the van, which had between seven and nine people inside it, got to its Rowville destination one of the passengers got out and opened fire on the house, believed to be linked to the earlier gatecrasher.
Momia was startled by the noise and woke up, demanding to be let out, but the other passengers refused and the driver sped off.
Two men from the Rowville house then jumped in a car and gave chase but the van driver managed to elude them and dumped his ride.
Momia then went back to the party.
The next day police found the van burnt out one street away.
When they arrested Momia he admitted he knew the van, which had been nicked earlier that night, was stolen.
Officers also found four shotgun shells in his bedroom.
He told police he had been given them by a mate and told to hide them.
In court his defence lawyer said on the night Momia was “clearly intoxicated, having passed out on a number of occasions”.
He said he was dragged into the vehicle, didn’t know what was happening and was not an active participant in the drive-by.
He said this was his first time in court and he no longer associated with any of the people involved in the incident.
Magistrate Brian Clifford said Momia’s participation was at the low end, he had no criminal priors and these offences dated back three years to when he was aged just 18.
He was given a six-month good behaviour bond with no conviction recorded.
