Townsville teens charged after alleged carjacking fails, stolen car sting

A trio of teenagers allegedly tried to carjack two motorists near a Townsville shopping centre after their stolen vehicle got spiked, as dramatic footage emerges of hoons in another stolen car convoy. Watch the video.

A trio of teenagers allegedly tried to carjack two motorists near a Townsville shopping centre after their stolen vehicle got spiked, as dramatic footage emerges of hoons in another stolen car convoy.

Police have charged three teens — aged 18, 16 and 15 — with multiple offences, including unlawful use of a motor vehicle after they tracked an allegedly stolen car on Sunday.

The allegedly stolen Nissan Patrol was travelling on Riverway Drive, Condon around 10am when police successfully deployed a tyre deflation device.

Police said the car continued driving through Thuringowa with deflated tyres, and the police chopper watched from above until it came to a stop in a shopping centre car park.

Three occupants of the car attempted to remove drivers from two other nearby cars in order to escape, but they were swiftly interrupted by police units along with members of the public, who took all three into custody.

The Nissan Patrol was reported stolen from a home in Canberra St, Ayr, on Sunday morning.

An 18-year-old Gulliver man was charged with the unlawful entry of a vehicle for committing an indictable offence in the company, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, unlicensed driving and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

He was remanded in custody and appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court on Monday.

A 15-year-old Heatley boy was charged with the unlawful entry of a vehicle for committing an indictable offence in the company, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and serious assault police.

He was remanded in custody and appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court on Monday.

A 16-year-old girl from Gulliver was charged with unlawful entry of a vehicle for committing an indictable offence in the company and unlawful use of the motor vehicle.

She was released on bail and is due to appear in Townsville Magistrates Court on Friday.

It comes as a shocking video recently emerged on social media showing youths hooning through the streets of Townsville in a brand-new stolen Nissan Navara dual cab.

Video has emerged online of Townsville youths hooning in a stolen black Nissan Navara. Source: Instagram

The footage shows a young boy doing doughnuts in the middle of the road, seemingly unfazed when the car’s busted tyre rim begins to spark on the road.

His amused friends in another stolen car watched on during his antics, describing him in the video caption as a “lil (sic) hard head maniac.”

The black 2023 Nissan Navara was stolen from a home on Marks St, Hermit Park on Tuesday, March 5 and was found dumped two days later on Malaga St, Kirwan.

Police said no arrests have been made in relation to this vehicle as of yet and investigations are ongoing.

These incident comes at a time when police are doubling down on efforts to combat youth crime through initiatives like Operation Whiskey Unison.

Launched a year ago, this operation aims to stamp out criminal activity through proactive community engagement and targeted patrols in hotspot areas. In Townsville alone, the impact of Operation Whiskey Unison is palpable, with 1007 individuals charged on 1742 offences in the past 12 months.

But the operation’s reach extends far beyond the city limits, with more than 160,000 proactive activities conducted statewide by dedicated police and Police Liaison Officers.

Originally published as Townsville teens charged after alleged carjacking fails, stolen car sting