Melbourne carjacking, robbery rampage, child, woman allegedly threatened
A MAN allegedly went on a carjacking and robbery rampage in Melbourne last night, threatening to kill a woman and her young children.
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A MAN allegedly went on a carjacking and robbery rampage in Melbourne last night, threatening to kill a woman and her young children.
After a carjacking and a string of crashes in the CBD around 7pm, a man ended up in a stolen Toyota Echo in Glen Iris and collided with a BMW.
He then ditched his vehicle and allegedly assaulted and robbed the owner of the BMW and stole the keys, but could not work out how to drive the car.
He then allegedly moved on and threatened to kill the owner of a Honda and her young children before stealing her car and taking off.
A witness said she heard him tell the frightened mum that he had a gun, ordering her to give him her car keys.
“The kids ran out of the car screaming and she got out and gave him the keys,” she said.
“It was pretty horrific.”
She said the man then fled in the stolen car, careering into more cars as he made his getaway.
After another collision on the corner of St Kilda Rd and Commercial Rd he allegedly ran away on foot.
Earlier in the night, the man allegedly tried to steal three separate cars in the CBD eventually carjacking a Toyota Echo.
He then allegedly drove down Flinders St on the wrong side of the road and the tram tracks before crashing with a taxi outside Federation Square.
It is claimed he then collided with a Ford Ranger at the intersection of Russell and Flinders St, before taking off to Glen Iris.
Robbie Francis, 39, was charged with a string of offences including robbery, car theft, extortion, false imprisonment, and make threats to kill following last nights alleged rampage.
But he refused to be brought into the Melbourne Magistrates Court this afternoon, preferring instead to stay in a cell at the custody centre in the basement of the court building.
A short administrative hearing proceeded in his absence, with a committal mention date set down for May 18.