Townsville breaking news: Armed thieves hit Idalia
Two baseball-bat attacks at the Townsville Airport and Belgian Gardens. A desperate search to find a coward who attacked a man from behind. Follow the breaking news liveblog >>>
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Small group fuelling crime wave
A relentless crime wave that’s engulfed Townsville over recent days has been fuelled by a group of about 12 violent young offenders who authorities believe show no sign of stopping.
Townsville District Detective Acting Inspector Dave Miles said police have been working tirelessly to apprehend a group of about 10-12 young people who have been consistently offending over recent days.
It comes as juvenile offenders wreaked havoc across the city over the last seven days, with almost 50 cars stolen and multiple residents attacked by kids trying to steal their cars.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said the last 48 hours had been the worst he’s ever seen for crime in Townsville.
Acting Inspector Miles didn’t shy away from acknowledging that it had been a period of “significant upheaval” for the community.
He said they are zeroing in on a core group of kids doing the most damage at the moment.
“I would be confident in the assessment that we’re dealing with a cohort of between 10-12 young people that are consistently responsible for what’s happening at this point and time,” he said.
“They are clearly not going to stop until they’re apprehended, and they are moving quickly and identifying soft targets, so it’s up to us to identify who they are and take them into custody.”
He said the youths had been opportunistic and often singled out “soft targets” to approach in groups.
“It’s not just at home; we’re seeing it at shopping centres, in public, they’re picking on the vulnerable and elderly people,” he said.
“So we urge people to be vigilant about your surroundings and your personal security.”
Acting Inspector Miles, in the last couple of days, we have made some significant arrests.
Two youths have been charged in relation to an incident where a young woman was assaulted by a group of youths during a violent attempted robbery outside the ABC on Wickham St, Townsville City.
A 14-year-old boy has been charged with 23 offences, including nine counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle and four counts of entering a dwelling and committing an indictable offence.
A 15-year-old girl was charged with one count of robbery, two counts of enter premises and three counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
In relation to a separate incident, a 13-year-old has been dealt with under the Youth Justice Act in relation to a recent arson of a stolen car.
Laughing intruders terrorise residents
Chilling footage has emerged showing youths blatantly laughing as they terrorised residents in Cranbrook, smashing up their cars and home.
Police are also investigating an incident in Cranbrook where a teenage boy used a golf club and bricks to smash up two cars after failing to break into a home around 4am on Thursday.
The female homeowner said the intruder was yelling and threatening her son.
“Trying to provoke him to come closer and they gonna (sic) kill us,” she said.
“They are laughing while smashing the cars. It was terrifying.”
Women fight off youths with baseball bat
Two brave women managed to fight off a gang of violent youths armed with a baseball bat during a rampage across Townsville where they left another man badly beaten at the airport just minutes earlier.
Paramedics were called after two women, aged 38 and 27, were injured after a violent run in with young car thieves outside a home on Parramatta St, Belgian Gardens about 5.37pm on Thursday.
The women were sitting in a parked BMW when a group of youths in a stolen white Hyundai Kona approached them.
They threatened the 38-year-old woman in the driver’s seat and told her to get out of the car, slamming the car door on her foot when she refused.
The 27-year-old was then confronted by a boy who pulled out a baseball bat and he struck her several times.
The woman fought back and during the chaos one of the youths stole a handbag from the car before they eventually all fled the scene.
The incident happened only minutes after youths stolen white Hyundai Kona was involved in another brutal assault near the Townsville Airport.
The youths repeatedly hit the 59-year-old man with a baseball bat when he attempted to stop them trying to steal hire cars at a carpark in Garbutt around 5.20pm.
The man was transported to the Townsville University Hospital with a broken arm.
The youths then fled the scene in the stolen Hyundai and police are appealing to anyone who many have dashcam footage of the car to contact police.
Investigations are ongoing. No arrests have been made at this stage.
Coward punch appeal
Police are looking for three women who helped a man that was coward punched in an unprovoked attack in Townsville’s CBD on the night of the Broncos vs. Cowboys game in August.
The Townsville Criminal Investigation Branch said two men, aged 27 and 28, were walking from Flinders Street along Sir Leslie Thiess Drive when the attack took place around 1am, on Sunday, August 6.
A man approached them from behind and coward punched the 28-year-old Goovigen man in the side of the head, causing him to fall to the ground.
The 28-year-old was assisted by three women, aged between 19 to 25, who may be able to help police with the investigation.
The 28-year-old man was transported to Townsville University Hospital and underwent surgery for a broken jaw.
Investigators would like to speak to those three women and are urging them to contact police.
The investigation is continuing.
Armed thieves hit Idalia
A resident in Idalia managed to stop two armed intruders from stealing his car during a burglary this morning.
Police said the incident occurred at a home in Waterfront Parade about 5am on Friday.
The homeowner woke up to find two men — one armed with a wheel brace — trying to his car.
They made threats and asked him to hand over his keys but ended up fleeing when he refused.
Investigations are ongoing. No arrests have been made at this stage.
Originally published as Townsville breaking news: Armed thieves hit Idalia
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