A gang of machete-wielding African thugs allegedly carried out three home invasions in just 20 minutes during a night of terror for Melbourne families.
Victoria Police allege two cars were stolen during the rampage, which began when three masked males allegedly broke into a property on Currajong Avenue in Camberwell at about 1.55am on Saturday.
They demanded car keys but a male occupant of them home chased them out of the house, and police allege they fled on foot only to return to damage the front door and smash a window.
The trio then allegedly attempted to enter a house on Smythe Avenue in Mont Albert at about 2.05am, but again fled in a waiting car after being yelled at by a man from inside the house, with CCTV showing the terrifying moment they tried to break in through the front door and a bedroom window.
Police allege they moved on to a home on Weybridge Street in Surrey Hills where they jumped a fence at about 2.15am and stole two sets of car keys belonging to a Mercedes B Class and a Mazda CX3.
One of the cars was tracked to Tamarisk Road in Narre Warren, where police later arrested a 25-year-old Narre Warren man and a 17-year-old male from the Casey area who will both be interviewed by police.
The third alleged offender is still on the run.
The male occupant from the first home invasion told 7News he chased off the three alleged intruders with a knife of his own, but said they came back to smash the window of his front door with a scooter.
Machete incidents involving youth offenders in Victoria have increased by about 700% during the past four years – from 117 in 2021 to 917 in 2024, including 108 serious assaults, and 245 aggravated robberies.
There were also 988 repeat offenders last year who committed more than 20 offences each, and about 20% of those were teenagers, 9News reported.
Premier Jacinta Allan banned the weapons earlier this year and installed 40 machete bins at the cost of $13 million, sparking global ridicule, and health minister Mary-Anna Thomas said on Saturday she was “not so naive to think young offenders are handing in their machetes”.
Header image: Left, right, the alleged home invaders (7News).
