Five teenagers have been arrested after allegedly stealing cigarettes from two Croydon locations before running rampant across the eastern suburbs.
Police believe the teens allegedly stole cigarettes from a Dorset Road service station and a store on Mount Dandenong Road, as well as attempting a burglary at a service station on Bayswater Road in Bayswater North around 9.30pm on 10 February but the offenders were disturbed by a staff member and fled. No threats were made and there were no injuries.
Officers spotted the allegedly stolen white Range Rover Discovery, which was said to have been used in these earlier incidents, driving erratically on Capital Avenue in Glen Waverley about 11pm.
The car was stolen from the Albert Park area on 8 February.
The Range Rover was followed from Glen Waverley through multiple suburbs by Air Wing, Operation Trinity units and uniform police on the ground.
A short time later, the occupants dumped the Range Rover in Wantirna.
They allegedly attempted to steal a vehicle at the intersection of Burwood Highway and Stud Road but were unsuccessful.
The teenagers allegedly stole a Ford Focus during an aggravated carjacking on Stud Road, where the driver was threatened with a knife.
The driver was not physically injured during the incident.
The teenagers fled in the Focus towards Box Hill and stop sticks were successfully deployed.
The car came to a stop on Belmore Road in Mont Albert North where the five male occupants fled on foot.
Four boys from the Dandenong area, aged 13, 14, 15 and 16, and a 15-year-old boy from the Moorabbin area were all arrested nearby.
They were taken into custody and will be interviewed by Maroondah Crime Investigation Unit detectives.
Operation Trinity has been specifically targeting burglars and car thieves each night since March 2023.
The operation, which runs from dusk until dawn across Melbourne, is easily Victoria Police’s most well-resourced operation.
On top of standard patrols, there are another 70 police including members of the Dog Squad, Public Order Response Team, and Air Wing, specifically tasked with preventing and responding to burglaries and car thefts each night.
