A man will face court after a spate of carjackings in Melbourne that ended with heavily armed police descending on a hotel.
The situation spiraled out of control when a man, believed to be en route to a police station to file a complaint, ran out of fuel in Tarneit, located in the western part of the city, around 7:45 am on Tuesday.
Authorities claim the 48-year-old individual from Hoppers Crossing visited a nearby convenience store, grabbed a jerry can, and attempted to procure fuel before assaulting the store clerk.
After leaving the store, he approached a silver Honda Civic at the junction of Sayers and Tarneit Roads, where police assert he unsuccessfully tried to hijack it.
It’s alleged by police that he subsequently forcefully seized a white Mitsubishi ASX, which led to a pursuit ending on Dryburgh Street in North Melbourne, where he reportedly commandeered a silver Hyundai.
The car was then dumped on Lonsdale Street about 8.45am and a man ran from the vehicle.
Frightened bystanders informed the Daily Mail that they heard several gunshots in the city’s CBD before the suspect was apprehended, with some noticing rubber bullets scattered on the ground.
On Tuesday night, charges were filed against him, including attempted aggravated burglary, attempted aggravated carjacking, aggravated carjacking with an imitation firearm, possession of an imitation firearm by a non-prohibited person, assault, and making threats to kill.
A 48-year-old man from Hoppers Crossing has been charged with several serious offences after an alleged carjacking rampage across Melbourne on Tuesday morning
Footage obtained by Wyndham TV revealed the moment the man appeared to order another man to get out of a car stopped at traffic lights in Tarneit
One witness, believed to be a tourist, claimed the man pointed the gun at him.
Some people have recalled the man blaring his horn, yelling at people to move, and ‘almost hit a lot of people’ as he sped through the busy street towards the CBD.
Footage obtained by Wyndham TV also revealed what happened during one of the alleged carjackings in Tarneit, with the man appearing to order a man to get out of a car stopped at traffic lights.
‘Get out now, go, go!’ he screamed at the terrified man, who fled across the road.
The man spent a few moments looking inside the car before targeting a second motorist, telling him to ‘get out’ and that ‘I’ll buy you a new car’.
He was heard calling out an odd five-word phrase before driving off: ‘I love you and God bless.’
Melburnians also saw police, including officers from Special Operations Group and Critical Incident Response Team, chasing the alleged gunman on their way to work before he was eventually arrested.
Photos showed the suspect covered in blood lying on a stretcher before he was led away in handcuffs to a nearby ambulance and transported to Royal Melbourne Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, where he remains under assessment.
CCTV captured the suspect casually walking down a CBD street carrying a firearm while smoking a cigarette
Melburnians saw police, including officers from special operations, chasing the alleged gunman on their way to work before he was eventually arrested
The alleged carjacker has been remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
Police allege the man’s wild Grand Theft Auto-style morning began after he ran out of petrol while travelling with his wife.
‘He carjacked a vehicle and headed into North Melbourne, where he took another car before entering the CBD,’ Acting Inspector Emma Lobb told reporters on Tuesday.
‘He dumped that vehicle around Lonsdale Street. Our Critical Incident Response Team and SOG safely secured the arrest. There was a firearm on the male, however it has been recovered and there are no ongoing threats to the public.’
The latest incident comes just days after terrified lunchtime shoppers in Bourke Street were forced to run for their lives after an allegedly stolen SUV struck a pedestrian while being chased by police.
Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan has since assured that ‘the CBD of Melbourne is safe’.
‘The Victorian community has that protection from Victoria Police,’ she told reporters on Tuesday.
‘As we saw this morning, Victoria Police moved swiftly, dealt with this situation quickly.’
Asked whether she understood why some Victorians didn’t feel safe in the CBD, Premier Allan said: ‘I can understand for those in the area this morning, it would have been a concern.’
‘I do understand that when incidents do occur, it would be incredibly distressing to either the witness to those sort of instances or indeed … if that happened to you more directly.’
