Police have arrested and charged five men and a teenage male over an alleged armed robbery and hammer attack in Brisbane last month, but are still looking for a 21-year-old man of African appearance.
The alleged robbery took place just after 5pm at a jewellery store on Gympie Road, Chermside, on June 10, and Queensland Police believe there may be links to a similar alleged raid on a shop on Lutwyche Road, Lutwyche, on May 8.
A 38-year-old male employee of the Chermside store was allegedly struck in the head with a hammer and taken to hospital in a stable condition with serious head and facial injuries, and had to undergo brain surgery.
Police released images of four men in an appeal for information and between July 11 and 15 arrested five men aged 20, 22, 25, 25 and 29, and a 16-year-old.
“Investigations are continuing into the matter with detectives appealing for information into the whereabouts of a 21-year-old man from Mount Gravatt, known to frequent the Logan and Inala areas, who they’d like to speak to,” police said.
Police said one of the 25-year-olds, from Carseldine, was charged with accessory after the fact, acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm, armed robbery, enter premises to with intent and, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and endangering child by exposure.
The other four men, from Goodna, Inala, and Loganlea, were charged with acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm, armed robbery, enter premises to with intent and, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and endangering child by exposure.
The 16-year-old charged with acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm, armed robbery, enter premises with intent to commit indictable offence, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, endangering child by exposure, serious drug offences and property offences.
Police opposed bail for all five men in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday, while the teenager appeared in the same court.
During the Lutwyche robbery a group of men wearing balaclavas and armed with axes and hammers smashed glass cabinets and stole a large amount of jewellery before leaving in a white Hyundai Accent Hatchback with QLD registration 801YLM that was stolen from Keperra on May 7.
A female staff member needed medical treatment for injuries from broken glass.
Header image: Left, right, a 21-year-old man police would like to speak to (QPS).
