‘Reckless’: Cops push for information after shooting and road rage incident
New footage shows the moment shots were fired and a group of men were chased with baseball bats following a car ramming.
New footage has been released capturing the moment shots were fired and a group of men were chased with baseball bats following a car ramming.
A white Nissan Skyline and a black Cherry SUV were involved in a road rage incident in Fawkner, Melbourne, on February 29 about 5.15pm.
No one was injured in the Lovely St incident; however, police say the Nissan was then rammed by a stolen gold Holden Rodeo about 6pm at Charles Mutton Reserve, just off Tyrell St.
The four male occupants of the Holden – allegedly stolen from a Bundoora address – got out of the car and fired several shots in the direction of the five Nissan occupants before chasing them with baseball bats, police say.
Detective Inspector Adam Tilley said one of the men from the Holden approached the driver’s side of the Nissan, where the driver remained seated, and fired a shot directly through the window that struck him in the arm.
“These males then proceeded to cause damage … by using the baseball bats, causing considerable damage,” he said.
Police say the men in the Holden fled the scene, while the men from the Nissan returned to the car before two quickly left and fled on foot.
The other three men sped away in the car, police say.
A 19-year-old Clifton Hill man, who was in the Nissan, later presented to hospital with a gunshot wound, which was not life-threatening.
Inspector Tilley confirmed the bullet had gone through the 19-year-old’s elbow.
“He is not assisting police at the moment. We've spoken to him on a number of occasions, and obviously we’d like him to assist us and provide further info about his movements, what led up to this, but at this stage he’s not assisting police,” Inspector Tilley said.
The 19-year-old is also known to police, but it’s not believed he is related to any gangs.
“We believe (the shooting is) linked to that previous road rage incident that occurred in Lovely St, that’s why we’re seeking public assistance,” Inspector Tilley said.
“We don’t know what led up to that road rage incident, but you can see from the footage that the males in the cherry coloured SUV are quite upset with the occupants from the Skyline.”
Inspector Tilley said police believed the occupants of the cherry SUV were the same as those in the Holden.
Shortly after the shooting the Holden crashed into a red Mazda hatch on the Western Ring Rd and Sydney Rd on ramp.
No one was injured; however, police say the Holden occupants fled the scene, with investigators believing they were picked up by a black SUV.
“We also believe too that following the collision on the Western Ring Rd … witnesses have described the offenders running along Mahoneys Rd and then a dark coloured SUV attending at that location and those males have then entered that vehicle and driven away,” Inspector Tilley said.
Police have released new CCTV footage in a push for fresh information following the string of incidents.
Inspector Tilley said police believed the shooting was targeted.
“This is a particularly concerning incident, especially given innocent members of the public were present. Such a reckless use of firearms had the potential for a significantly more devastating outcome,” he said.
“We believe it was a targeted incident, but we are keen to speak to anyone who has knowledge of those involved and what the motivation for the shooting might have been.
“If there are people out there with information about the incident or who may have CCTV or dashcam footage – particularly of the collision on the Western Ring Rd at 6.10pm – who are yet to come forward, I’d urge those people to contact police and, as always, this can be done anonymously.”
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