Dima Mendelis and Tyson Williams charged with aggravated home invasion after dramatic Balaclava arrests
Two men have faced court charged with aggravated home invasion after a dramatic daylight arrest on Carlisle St in Balaclava.
Police & Courts
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Two men have faced court after they were arrested by heavily armed police in dramatic scenes in Balaclava on Wednesday afternoon.
Dima Mendelis, 43, from Point Cook, and Tyson Williams, 35, from Lalor, fronted the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday charged over an aggravated home invasion in Templestowe Lower.
The duo were on Wednesday detained on a footpath in front of shocked onlookers on Carlisle St about 4.30pm.
The daylight arrests followed an investigation into the aggravated home invasion in which a shot was fired through a closed door.
Victoria Police allege a group stormed the Linton Ave property on November 16 about 1am while four people were at home at the time.
“One of the occupants, a 32-year-old man, was assaulted and taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” a Victoria Police statement said.
The parties are believed to be known to each other.
Mr Mendelis and Mr Williams have been charged with aggravated home invasion, reckless conduct endangering life, intentionally causing serious injury and false imprisonment, among other offences.
Officers from the special operations group apprehended the pair on Wednesday, with police allegedly seizing cash, two knives, pepper spray and what was believed to be cocaine.
The special operations group is used for high-risk arrests where the targets are believed to be armed.
Daniel, who works at a cafe on Carlisle St, told the Herald Sun there were dozens of shocked onlookers at the scene.
“We saw two men on the ground being arrested. We kept asking the police what was going on, no one was telling us anything,” he said.
“People in the Jewish community live and work in this area, so of course we are on high alert.”
Mr Mendelis and Mr Williams did not apply for bail.
The court heard Mr Mendalis has a heart condition and would need to be seen by a custody nurse.
The men will return to court on February 15 for a committal mention.
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