Four teenagers have been charged, and another is on the run after an early-morning crime spree filmed for social media caused havoc in south-east Queensland in a stolen Audi.
Two Logan service stations and a Brisbane cafe cart were allegedly robbed at gunpoint after the Audi crashed into another car at Coomera on the Gold Coast after the teenagers’ Joyride left a path of destruction along the Pacific Motorway.
The crash sparked a police pursuit that ended abruptly when officers stopped the Audi near Bainley Marketplace.
While no worker was injured during the armed robbery, a woman and child were injured by one of the criminals who fled the scene.
The 12-hour-long crime spree began when a 2014 Audi S3 was allegedly stolen from a home in Helensvale, on the outskirts of the Gold Coast, on Saturday night.
Five hours later, around 3.30am, a teenager threatened a service station employee with a gun and demanded cash. He was seen leaving in a stolen Audi.
The teenagers filmed their rampage and posted it on social media during the alleged crime
Just five minutes later, a second service station in nearby Kingston was robbed at gunpoint and saw a teenager leaving in the same car.
Two and a half hours later, a female cafe worker was held at gunpoint and her handbag stolen by two armed teenagers as she opened Tribe Coffee Co in Brisbane’s Ascot.
The teenagers allegedly started heading back towards the Gold Coast as police tracked down the car with the help of Paul Air.
Footage posted on social media shows several teenagers inside an Audi posing with fake weapons, including cash, trying to pretend they are armed.
‘Look at this work,’ says one accuser.
‘Show them guns, cause more guns.’
The Audi was seen traveling south along the Pacific Motorway at around 9.30am and crashed into the back of a Mazda 2 near a busy junction on Foxwell Road in Coomera.
Two passengers in the Audi allegedly took off and two others fled the scene on foot.
One of them allegedly injured a woman and a child during the chase. He was arrested moments later by police who allegedly found a firearm nearby.
Footage of the scene shows the handcuffed teenager sitting barefoot on the ground with his shoes and other items of clothing strewn nearby.
The teenager was arrested shortly after fleeing the scene of an accident involving a stolen Audi
Just after 10 a.m. in Logan, police deployed a tire deflation device and stopped the Audi near Benleigh Marketplace. Two men were arrested near the shopping center.
A search of the vehicle turned up two more firearms.
A fourth teenager was later arrested in Daisy Hill.
An 18-year-old Woodridge man will appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday charged with armed robbery at the company.
Two 15-year-old boys and a 14-year-old charged with another offense will face a juvenile court at a later date.
Police alleged that during the arrest they recovered three Jail Blaster mock weapons.
The search continues for a fifth man accused of involvement.
Tribe Coffee Co owner Mark Hardingham said his female staff member was ‘shaken’ when she opened the cafe cart on Sunday morning after two young men armed with a rifle and pistol demanded her belongings.
Footage posted on social media shows teenagers in an Audi posing with fake weapons (pictured).
Caught on CCTV, the horrified worker asked the boy ‘What is that?’
He replied: ‘It’s a f-king gun, c-t’.
The alleged thieves were still unable to take the cash and only took the woman’s belongings.
‘He refused to open the cart and it frightened them. He thought something was wrong.’ Mr Hardingham told the Courier Mail.
‘You want to give young people jobs and a safe working environment, but what do you do?’
‘It’s sad, a crackdown is needed. It puts many businesses at risk.’
Anyone with more information or a dash cam is asked to call PoliceLink or Crime Stoppers.
Timeline of destruction
Saturday 10.30pm: A 2014 Audi S3 is reported stolen from a Clover Way home in Helensvale on the Gold Coast.
3.30am Sunday: A juvenile allegedly held a member of staff at gunpoint and demanded the cash register at the Gardiner Road service station in Holmview. The boy left behind in the Audi has been accused of theft the previous night.
3.35am: A teenager armed with a gun flees from the Jewers Road service station in nearby Kingston and flees in the same car.
6am: A female worker was held at gunpoint by two armed teenagers who demanded her belongings as she opened the Tribe Coffee Co cart on Alexandra Rd in Ascot, Brisbane. The group in the stolen Audi started heading back towards the Gold Coast.
9.30am: Audiy seen along Pacific Motorway near Coomera
9.50am: Audi crashes with a Mazda 2 at Coomera junction. The two occupants allegedly fled the scene on foot. A woman and a child were allegedly injured before being arrested.
Shortly after 10am: Audi stopped by police near Bainley Marketplace in Logan. Two occupants were arrested from the spot. A fourth man was later arrested