Melbourne gang in violent 14-hour crime spree

Gang of caucasian and African youths still at large following six violent assaults and robberies in Melbourne overnight.

A gang of youths were behind six violent robberies in Melbourne.

Victoria Police are investigating six violent robberies allegedly perpetrated by a gang of caucasian and African youths in Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs overnight.

No arrests have yet been made over the 14-hour crime spree, which involved several violent assaults and robberies, including a home invasion which saw a woman threatened with a machete before her car was stolen.

Southern Metro Crime Team Detective Acting Senior Sergeant David Cox said police were confident the same group had been involved in all six incidents, which involved a stolen white Volkswagen sedan.

“We’ve managed to have established that there’s been a link with a Volkswagen that has been seen at a number of the incidents, and we’re currently out searching for that vehicle at the moment,” he told 3AW.

Police say the first incident took place at about 5.30pm yesterday, when three men were walking south along Coral Drive, Hampton Park and were approached by the occupants of a white Volkswagen sedan who threw eggs at them.

Following a verbal confrontation between the victims and the occupants of the vehicle, one man was punched in the head, and two men and two women fled in the Volkswagen with a mobile phone and speaker belonging to one of the male victims.

The second incident occurred in Osborne Street, South Yarra at about 12.30am.

Police say two men were approached by the occupants in a white sedan who struck up a conversation before punching and kicking one of the victims and stealing his mobile phone, keys and wallet.

The 41-year-old Hawthorn man sustained bruising and abrasions to his head and body which required treatment in hospital.

Mr Cox said the man would make a full recovery.

“He’s OK, which is thankful,” he said.

“He’s got abrasions and is a bit shaken up by the incident after being assaulted by these offenders, but he’ll recover, which is great.”

Mr Cox said police were hunting for the Volkswagen sedan with registration 1FY4HF which was used in all six incidents.

“That’s a white Volkswagen which we’ve established has been stolen from the Cranbourne area two days ago,” he said.

The third incident occurred in Carlisle Street, Caulfield where police say a woman was approached on the street by three men in a light coloured sedan about 12.50am.

The pair demanded the 24-year-old Caulfield North woman’s mobile phone before fleeing west on Balaclava Road.

The fourth incident occurred at the intersection of Blessington and Carlisle Streets, St Kilda about 1.00am.

Police say detectives have been told a 45-year-old man was set-upon by three men in a VW sedan who tackled him to the ground before kicking and punching him.

The St Kilda man sustained swelling and bruising to his head and torso.

The offenders stole the man’s bag, which contained his mobile phone, and drove west on Carlisle Street.

The fifth incident occurred just after 1.30am at a McDonald’s restaurant at the intersection of Jamieson Street and Nepean Highway, Cheltenham.

Police say investigators have been told a group of men arrived in a VW sedan and one of the men entered the store wearing a mask and gloves.

The offender demanded cash from staff before fleeing empty-handed in the vehicle.

“I can only imagine the thoughts of the manager at the time, but the manager refused to hand over the money, and he defended himself with a broom, and the offender in that particular incident, he wasn’t armed from what we know of, then he exited the store post haste and got into that vehicle that we’re looking for,” Mr Cox said, warning members of the public not to resist robbers if attacked.

“We don’t want anybody resisting them,” he said.

“It is property that we’ll hopefully endeavour to get back for our poor victims, but no, we certainly don’t want anyone confronting them.

“We’ll do our very best to apprehend them ourselves.”

The sixth incident occurred after a woman arrived at her home in Colac Court, Patterson Lakes about 3.25am.

It is believed four or five offenders, one armed with a machete, threatened her before stealing her Volkswagen golf, registration 1BR4MW.

Two further offenders fled in the white VW sedan.

The victim was not injured during the incident.

In a press release, police described the offenders as “perceived to be of both caucasian and African in appearance”.

Mr Cox said descriptions of the offenders varied.

“One of the males is particularly described as being a Middle Eastern male,” he said.

“Varying ages have been within that description, but somewhere between 20 and 30 years of age, and then we have another three males who appear to be of African appearance, so we’re looking for those males at the moment.”

The crime spree comes after an RACV survey of 1000 Victorians released today found 85 per cent still believe the state has a crime problem.