Stolen car used in ram raid on Chilli Mama in Cairns
Shocking video has captured the moment ram raiding thieves in a stolen car racked up a $10,000 damage bill before getting away with just $10 from the till of a Cairns business in another night of mayhem on Queensland’s streets.
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Ram raiding thieves in a stolen car have racked up a $10,000 damage bill before getting away with just $10 from the till of a Whitfield business in another night of mayhem on the streets of Cairns.
Chilli Mama Take Away in Whitfield on Monday night was targeted by crims along with Zazu Hair Salon at the Mount Sheridan Plaza and the Edge Hill Friendly Grocer.
Raintrees Shopping Centre was also hit, with the Australia Post outlet and Woolworths targeted by thieves who allegedly forced entry into the Manunda retail centre.
CCTV vision from Chilli Mama captured the shocking moment a stolen red Mazda 3 ploughed through the glass shop front, avoiding concrete bollards, at 5.15am on Tuesday morning.
The footage shows a masked offender ripping the cash register from the counter and fleeing the scene.
Chilli Mama owner Carl Galea Maz said the shop could not reopen until a structural expert gave the building a clean bill of health.
“They have destroyed the place,” he said.
“Times are tough, it’s hard to run a business and then when s*** like this happens, it’s devastating, it’s not nice at all.
“We have insurance excess and we can’t open so that affects the staff.
“And we need a building inspector because the shop was hit by a car.”
Numerous alerts have been posted to social media reporting the activity the red Mazda 3 stolen from Trinity Beach on Saturday and a 2018 White Audi S3 stolen from White Rock on Monday.
Police have also been tracking a stolen 2018 grey HiLux taken from Bentley Park on Monday.
However police air assets have not been sent to track the stolen vehicles.
Flight records reveal the Rescue 510 helicopter has not been airborne since 6pm on Monday.
Zazu Hair Salon owner Ashleigh Anderson on social media stated her business had been broken into four times in the past 12 months and was hit again on Monday night by thieves who allegedly rammed a shopping trolley through the glass doors to gain access.
Acting Detective Inspector Cindy Searle said it was difficult to give a single reason for spiking property crime and dismissed speculation that surging shop breaks were due to youth offenders coming to Cairns from Townsville and Mount Isa.
“We just follow where the evidence leads us and there is nothing in the evidence that leads us to think that Cairns is a meeting place for other kids,” she said.
“I have got nothing that indicates that and it sounds like an urban legend.”
Inspector Searle would not say why the Rescue 510 helicopter not been tasked with tracking stolen vehicles.
“Community safety is our number one priority and we assess what we can do based on what we think is going to be the safest,” she said.
“We have to make sure everyone is as safe as possible in the apprehension of the people committing these crimes.”
Police said no arrests have been.
Numerous other businesses throughout Cairns, including in Edge Hill and in the city, have been targeted in smash and grab raids over the past two weeks.
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Originally published as Stolen car used in ram raid on Chilli Mama in Cairns
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