Melbourne jewellery store robbed for second time in three months by violent youths

MELBOURNE is in the grip of an out-of-control crime wave, with a brazen jewellery store heist the latest suspected Apex attack.

Armed robbery at a jewellery store in Toorak. It is the second time the jewellery store has been targeted in the past three months. Picture: Nicki Connolly

GANG violence is continuing to plague Melbourne, with a jewellery store heist the latest attack in a suspected Apex crime wave.

A group of men broke into IMP Jewellery store in Toorak Road store just before 1pm on Saturday, where they struck a staff member on the head with a gun.

It was the second time in three months the store has been targeted by an armed gang.

The men, described as being of African appearance, fled into a nearby car, where a getaway driver was waiting.

Police gave chase but abandoned the pursuit a short time later.

The staff member was struck on the head with the butt of a firearm and was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Store owner Tony Fialides told the Herald Sun he was stunned by the fresh heist. “I’m incredibly disappointed,” he said. “I’ve had people from interstate and overseas saying: ‘What’s going on in Victoria?’”

It is just three months since the shop was hit by a gun-toting gang.

In that robbery, store manager Steven Morrow had a gun pointed at his head by one of the thieves during the terrifying holdup in which glass counters were smashed.

The jewellery heist is the latest in a string of violent crimes committed by criminal gangs of African appearance in Melbourne.

A taskforce established to catch members of the Apex Gang, which is notorious for its violent car thefts, home invasions and robberies across Melbourne’s south east.

Police at IMP Jewellery, which was targeted for the second time in three months. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Detectives from the taskforce are also investigating an overnight robbery at McDonald’s outlet in southeast Melbourne.

Last month, a woman riding her bicycle in Melbourne’s inner north was slashed in the face with a box-cutter by three youths who stole her mobile phone.

In April last year, a group of teens stormed an Ormond home, hitting Chinese students with hammers and ordering two of them to perform sexual acts on each other.

In November, gangs of up to 15 youths stormed four Officeworks stores to steal Dr Dre headphones, cheering and waving the stolen goods above their heads as they calmly left each store.

And last month, a former Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner told how four “aggressive” men of African appearance brandished a tomahawk in an attempted carjacking on the Princes Freeway.

The IMP Jewellery robbery is Melbourne’s third jewel heist in the past two weeks.

Two teenagers were arrested and charged over a terrifying armed robbery in Canterbury last Thursday, while earlier in January, three people used a machete and gun to terrorise bystanders in Elsternwick before making off with $150,000 worth of jewellery.

Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.