In short:
A man allegedly armed with a gun carjacked a woman in Tarneit before being spotted walking through Melbourne CBD with a weapon and cigarette. Police made a peak-hour arrest near Bourke Street after chasing him through laneways and a building lobby.
Dramatic police response ends in CBD arrest
A man allegedly armed with a firearm has been arrested following two aggravated carjackings in Tarneit and North Melbourne that ended in a dramatic peak-hour arrest in Melbourne’s CBD.
At around 7:45am on October 14, the man’s vehicle reportedly ran out of fuel near the intersection of Sayers and Tarneit roads. He entered a nearby convenience store, assaulted the attendant, took a jerry can, and attempted to acquire fuel before fleeing on foot. The store attendant sustained minor injuries.
Moments later, footage obtained by Wyndham TV shows the man standing beside a Honda Civic and ordering a man to leave. The his focus turns to a white Mitsubishi ASX wagon at the intersection. After pointing a firearm at the female driver, he says, “I love you and God bless,” before she exits the vehicle. The man then drives away.
Police Air Wing tracked the Mitsubishi as it was driven erratically from Tarneit into inner Melbourne. In North Melbourne, the suspect allegedly carjacked a second vehicle at gunpoint — a silver Hyundai sedan — on Dryburgh Street. That car was later found abandoned on Lonsdale Street just after 8:45am.
Around 9:00am, tactical officers from the Special Operations Group, Critical Incident Response Team, and Melbourne Police arrested the man on Crossley Street near Bourke Street. He had been seen walking through the city in a suit, holding a gun and smoking a cigarette — captured on building surveillance footage.
Witnesses reported seeing officers flooding laneways and a man fleeing through an office lobby before the arrest. A bloodied man was later taken away on a stretcher, and police were seen collecting cigarette butts at the scene. A firearm was recovered.
The arrested man, a 48-year-old from Hoppers Crossing, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He is expected to be interviewed by detectives from Wyndham Criminal Investigation Unit.
Detective Senior Sergeant Luke Flint praised the quick response: “This coordinated response led to the matter being resolved within an hour, and thankfully, no serious injuries to members of the public or police.” He also acknowledged the distress caused to victims and witnesses.
