A 16 year old girl has resigned due to the trauma caused by the incident.
In a terrifying series of events, a group of youth gang members, led by 19-year-old Abdirahman Basa, carried out a violent crime spree that left workers traumatized and ended in a high-speed police chase resulting in a dramatic crash.
The ordeal began on March 28 when Abdirahman Basa and his accomplices, dressed in black with masked faces, targeted a supermarket in Werribee. Armed with a machete, they threatened terrified workers, making off with cash and bottles of vodka from the NQR supermarket on Watton Street. In a brazen display of violence, Basa pointed his machete at a 16-year-old supermarket worker, demanding she open her cash register. The victim later revealed that she had resigned due to the trauma caused by the incident.
The group’s audacious robbery spree continued as they then turned their attention to a nearby Foodworks, while two other youths, aged 16 and 18, waited outside in a stolen Hyundai i30.
As they made their escape, the gang members led police on a high-speed pursuit through Melbourne’s western streets. The chase reached perilous speeds of up to 150 km/h on the Princes Highway, with the criminals throwing bottles and a wheel brace out of the stolen car’s window to deter the pursuing officers. Concerned citizens made multiple emergency calls reporting the erratic driving before police helicopters tracked the gang to a BP service station in Flemington.
Despite the high-stakes situation, officers on the ground resumed the pursuit, capturing dashcam footage of the stolen car racing through traffic. The reckless escapade culminated in a dramatic collision, as the stolen vehicle clipped another car and crashed into the front of a residence, ultimately colliding with a power pole on Ascot Vale Rd in Ascot Vale.
Abdirahman Basa, who was behind the wheel, and his co-accused friends were trapped inside the wrecked car and subsequently arrested by police officers with their guns drawn. A civilian in the other car suffered injuries to the head and neck, while one of the offenders was hospitalized with a suspected fractured vertebra and broken rib.
In court, it was revealed that Basa was associated with The Brotherhood, a notorious youth gang known for violence and criminal activities in the Wyndham area.
CCTV footage presented during the pre-sentence hearing showed one of the offenders breaking into a Werribee home via an unlocked door and stealing a Hyundai i30 just before 4 am on March 27. The daylight robberies that followed sent shockwaves through the community, leaving victims traumatized and fearing for their safety.
Abdirahman Basa has pleaded guilty to a litany of charges, including theft, armed robbery, dangerous driving while pursued by police, and reckless conduct endangering serious injury. His 16-year-old co-accused has already been sentenced in a children’s court, while the 18-year-old is being dealt with separately.
Basa, who has been in custody since his arrest, is set to be sentenced next month. The shocking footage of this crime spree serves as a stark reminder of the impact of youth gang violence on local communities and the crucial role of law enforcement in maintaining public safety.
