South Australian tourists’ car torched outside of Alice Springs curfew zone

A South Australian tourist’s car was torched in a robbery gone wrong outside of the Alice Springs curfew zone – but not before he got some of his own hits in, he says. Find out what happened.

Police are investigating after a car owned by tourist Clayton Forbes was torched by would-be thieves in Alice Springs.

A South Australian man fought off a would-be robber with a chair in a “hectic” night in Alice Springs amid the town’s snap curfew after his car was torched in a robbery gone wrong, that escalated into a violent group attack.

Clayton Forbes and his partner Kamara had travelled to Alice Springs from Fitzroy Crossing on their way back home to Adelaide, but last night’s events left them stranded in the Central Australia town without a car.

Mr Forbes said that at 1.30am he heard a smash outside his accomodation on Chewings Street in Eastside, and upon investigation, discovered someone inside the cars parked outside his accomodation.

Clayton Forbes: Picture: Gera Kazakov tags, Alice Springs, Police, Chewing Street, Eastside

Mr Forbes said he leapt into action – striking the alleged thief “three to four times” with an outdoor chair – but didn’t realise there were more of the thief’s mates around.

“He jumped out and he went to take off and one of his mates, which I didn’t notice at the time, came around from the left hand side of the Pathfinder,” he said.

“I don’t know if he had something in his hand or not, but I quickly decked him with the chair as well.”

The situation then turned ugly for Mr Forbes – despite his cousin coming outside to help – who said the group then turned on him, forcing him inside, as they attacked the house.

“They started picking u these nice sized rocks, pretty much (the) size of my hand; started ditching them at us,” he said.

One of the vehicles damaged in last nights incident outside the curfew zone at Chewings Street, Eastside, Alice Springs. Picture: Gera Kazakov

“After that, we barricaded ourselves in there and they started smashing through.

“They stabbed in the doors, they shattered all the windows, and they broke the screen doors – that’s completely caved in.

“It’s been a hectic few hours.”

What the group didn’t know is there were two children inside the premises as they conducted their assault, Mr Forbes said.

Other minor injuries – such as his partner being struck with an errant rock in the hip and a minor cut on his leg – Mr Forbes said no one was injured.

But their vehicle was not so lucky, being set ablaze, in what Mr Forbes called “pretty much a write off”.

Mr Forbes said they were due to head home to Adelaide on Monday.

He praised the police response, who he said arrived in five minutes, but police confirmed they were still hunting the four male offenders allegedly at the centre of the incident.

“All offenders fled the scene in the direction of the Todd River. Operation Grimmel and general duties officers responded and pursued the offenders on foot, however they currently remain outstanding,” a police spokesperson said.

Mr Forbes described the alleged perpetrators as aged around 17 to 21, with police urging anyone with more information to get in touch on 131 444, quoting reference P24184373.

Gillen, East Side homes attacked overnight in Alice Springs, police say

Police are hunting for five people who allegedly stole a woman’s wallet and torched another person’s car in separate incidents in Alice Springs.

Southern Watch Commander Lee Yates said a “male offender” allegedly “jumped the fence” of a Gillen home about 10.50pm Tuesday.

Sergeant Yates alleged the man made his way into the granny flat on the property, where he “startled” a woman inside.

He said the man allegedly stole the woman’s wallet and fled the scene, and was still on the run from police.

NT Police alleged a group of about four ’unknown males’ threw a flammable object through the rear window of a vehicle in East Side. Picture: Facebook // Action for Alice

In a separate incident, Sergeant Yates alleged a group of about four “unknown males” tried to gain entry to an East Side property about 1.34am Wednesday.

He said the home’s occupants challenged the group before fleeing to the safety of their home, barricading themselves inside.

Sergeant Yates said the group then allegedly turned their attention to the occupants’ cars – a Mazda CX5 and a Nissan Pathfinder.

He said the group allegedly damaged the vehicles, including throwing a flammable object through the rear window of one vehicle.

Sergeant Yates said the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

He said the occupants were not injured in the incident, and the group was still outstanding.

Both homes were outside the current curfew zone in the Alice Springs CBD.