Wannabe teen gangsters wreak havoc, bash neighbours during out-of-control party

‘WANNABE teen gangsters’ terrorised a neighbourhood during a three-day house party. This was the extraordinary reaction of the mother who lived there.

“IT is teenagers out of control ... but you were a teenager once.”

And with these words, a mother who hosted a party that turned into a chaotic three-day bender tried to explain away hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage and a neighbourhood left in fear.

Police fear the “wannabe teen gangsters” who ran amok at a Gold Coast house party destroying property and attacking neighbours are part of a new wave of local youth idolising hardened criminals.

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The Gold Coast Bulletin revealed that neighbours and relatives were last night concerned about the welfare of a two-year-old girl understood to be living at the address where the party spun out of control.

The aftermath following an out-of-control house party in Georgetown Street, Varsity Lakes.

In a harrowing 72-hour period:

• The host’s 14-year-old daughter partied;

• Wannabe baby bikies bashed neighbours, three received hospital treatment;

• 50 teens trashed a house and vehicles causing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage;

• And while all this happened, a two-year-old was left in a back bedroom sleeping just metres away.

Yet the mother who lives at the address defended the actions of those involved, telling a reporter: “It is teenagers out of control — you were a teenager once.”

A two-year-old girl was reportedly in the house during the wild party. Picture: Richard Gosling

Police arrived at a Georgetown Street house in Varsity Lakes at 9.30pm on Saturday after reports of a large disturbance.

By the time police got there it is understood a mob of more than 50 youths had dispersed from the area leaving in their wake a trashed home, a smashed up Honda CRV parked nearby and neighbours cowering in their homes in fear.

Yesterday morning, the street was a mess of broken furniture, upturned bins and broken glass strewn up and down the street.

The party house was covered in graffiti inside and out, including youth gang-related tags and profanities, and its double garage doors were hanging in pieces.

Three neighbours aged 53, 57 and 49 were also treated in hospital for minor injuries after confronting the group of youngsters.

The aftermath of the out-of-control house party.

A man claiming to be the owner of the trashed house called the Gold Coast Bulletin yesterday to say he’d moved out a week earlier taking two daughters with him.

His partner had remained at the house with their two other daughters aged 14 and two.

The man’s lawyer Kathleen Simpson told the Gold Coast Bulletin she had called the Department of Child Safety for her client to draw their attention to his concerns about the youngest daughter at the house.

A destroyed TV outside the Georgetown St home.

She said police had informed her yesterday that they would allow the father access to the girl.

“All the police can say is there is a job and it’s in the hands of the police to escort (my client) to the property.”

Rapid Action Patrol commander Superintendent Jim Keogh said the party turned “pear-shaped” on Saturday night when a 17-year-old teen was asked to leave.

“He leaves and comes back with his mates and does damage to the garage,” he said.

Mr Keogh added tags “4221” and “Palmy Army” relating to Gold Coast youth gangs were splattered around the garage and there was no complaint laid by a woman at the address.

“We found Palmy Army stuff splattered all around.

“The mother says that it happened by consent, no complaint.

“(The teenagers) leave the party and go to a neighbouring street where they smash the windows of a 4WD.”

It’s at this point Mr Keogh said the three neighbours came out with pool cues to confront the group, which took the cues and assaulted them.

Supt Keogh said juvenile gangs were a big problem.

“It is really reflective of the desire some of these young people have to join gangs and feeder gangs,” Mr Keogh said.

Damage at the Varsity Lakes house.

“In this case, because they were 17, they were more wannabes but wannabes do become hardened gang members so you really have to jump on it early.

“Gang culture and gang mentality is a little bit like hero worshipping and for whatever reason we seem to attract it,” he said.

“It has to be stamped out.”

One of the victims of the pool cue attack, Pangsak Tangtubtm, said he was playing snooker with three mates when they heard loud noise “like soccer chanting”.

“It was an angry noise. They were smashing the garage door. They were smashing the cars. We wanted to protect the car,” he said.

At one point a motorcycle helmet was used to smash two holes in a Baruch Street house window.

Locals said details of the party, which they claim started on Thursday, had been posted on Facebook.

A woman at the party said every room had been “completely trashed” except the two-year-old daughter’s bedroom.

“She slept through the whole thing,” the woman said.

Originally published as Wannabe teen gangsters wreak havoc, bash neighbours during out-of-control party