Teens who led police on 11km pursuit charged with shocking crimes
Two of the teens arrested over a wild police pursuit that ended with a stolen BMW being abandoned in Bourke St have also been charged with a shocking armed home invasion in Balwyn.
Two teenage boys arrested in dramatic scenes in Melbourne’s CBD after allegedly leading police on an 11km chase in a stolen car have been linked to shocking home invasions.
Detectives have charged two of the balaclava-wearing passengers seen running from the BMW on Bourke St Mall on Monday over a Balwyn North home invasion on September 13.
Charge sheets allege the pair entered the home with two or more co-offenders wielding a large kitchen knife while the terrified occupants were home.
Two vehicles - a blue BMW X1 and a $105,000 Mercedes wagon - were allegedly stolen.
A PlayStation 5 gaming console was also allegedly nicked.
The Herald Sun can reveal one of the boys had celebrated his 15th birthday a day before the pursuit, which saw a pedestrian struck and injured in Exhibition St.
The other - a 16-year-old boy - was also accused of being involved in an aggravated burglary in Rowville on Thursday last week.
On the same day he is accused of filling up a car with $180 worth of diesel at a Ringwood Shell service station and driving off.
The details emerged as the duo, alongside the 17-year-old accused driver from Monday’s police chase, fronted a children’s court on Tuesday.
It is understood the trio had to beam into the courtroom via videolink from Parkville’s youth detention centre after they refused to get on the bus to physically attend court.
“Yo, yeah I can hear yas,” one of the boys said when asked by the court clerk if he could hear and see the court.
His lawyer then quickly warned him that there were “a few people”, namely journalists, in the courtroom, advising him to sit quietly until the magistrate came on the bench.
All three are charged with stealing a white BMW X3 in Melbourne on Monday, which was later abandoned at Bourke St Mall after an 11km police pursuit.
The accused driver has been hit with additional charges including conduct endangering life, driving at a dangerous speed, unlicensed driving and failing to stop at an accident.
The woman who was hit before the car came to a stop in the mall, did not sustain serious injuries but was taken to hospital for observation.
No details were aired in court about the three boys’ alleged crimes, or any previous involvement they have had with police or the court.
The Herald Sun earlier revealed the trio had all recently avoided detention for violent crimes, including carjackings, home invasions, car thefts and assaults with weapons.They were reportedly instead given chances on supervision orders to get their lives back on track while in the community and under the watchful eye of youth justice workers.
They did not apply for bail and will return to court on October 21.
A fourth boy, 17, was also arrested and charged after fleeing on foot between mall shoppers, but was bailed to appear in court at a later date.
