Dog squad tracks down thieves

The police dog squad tracked down four teenagers who were roaming around Pakenham in a stolen car on Sunday 5 July. Photo: VICTORIA POLICE

By Jessica Anstice

The dog squad tracked down a group of teenagers who were involved in an armed robbery and were roaming around Pakenham in a stolen car on Sunday 5 July.

Prior to the arrest, four innocent teenagers were attacked by the group of thugs while walking home from a pub in Beaconsfield on Saturday night.

The four 18-year-olds were walking from Beaconsfield Train Station to a parents’ house down Soldiers Road when a stolen vehicle abruptly pulled up beside them.

Five teenagers, of African appearance, approached the men before physically attacking them and threatening them with a knife.

The offenders demanded that the victims handover their belongings, however nothing was stolen.

During the attack, another stolen vehicle approached the scene.

One of the victims thought it was someone stopping to help but was confronted when another four teenagers exited another stolen vehicle and joined in on the attack.

The offenders attempted to run off when a victim’s father disturbed the scene.

Police arrived and arrested the first car load of teenagers, however the second group of four escaped.

Early the following morning, a police officer spotted a stolen vehicle in Casey Field Boulevard, before it quickly sped off and was out of sight.

Moments later, police saw the stolen Honda CRV driving through a set of red lights on Camms Road.

The vehicle then veered into a court before police from Pakenham watched the four teens exit the vehicle and attempt to flee in different directions.

One teen was caught straight away and taken into custody, while the others ran off.

The K9 unit was released and the dogs quickly discovered a scent from the offenders.

With nowhere to hide, it wasn’t long before the other three offenders were located.

Police soon connected the dots and realised the stolen car and the four teens were involved in an armed robbery in Beaconsfield the night before, Saturday 5 July.

All from Cardinia and Casey, three 19-year-olds were remanded in custody, while a 17-year-old was bailed.

“We had so many units available as they are out for Operation Tidal which is an ongoing operation focusing on high volume crime such as robberies, burglaries, theft of cars and theft from cars,” Pakenham police officer Travis Ellams said.

The three men are set to attend court at a later date.