An African thug who allegedly punched a woman in the face during a terrifying alleged carjacking rampage in Melbourne’s south-east has been arrested with the help of hero witnesses.
Shocking CCTV footage from the Shiners Jet carwash on Cranbourne Road, Frankston, shows the man allegedly attacking the woman as she vacuumed her car at about 11am on Thursday morning.
The man, who was allegedly armed with a metal pole, can be seen allegedly punching the woman twice while allegedly demanding her keys.
The carwash attendant then came to the woman’s aid and both confronted the alleged attacker, forcing him to flee the scene on a bus, Nine News reported.
Witnesses said the man had tried to steal cars from several other female motorists before allegedly attacking the woman.
An African thug punches a woman in the face in an attempted carjacking in Frankston, Melbourne, today. pic.twitter.com/Kg6Osn2gCJ
— The Noticer (@NoticerNews) February 27, 2025
Good Samaritan Ryan Purdie helped chase down the thug, and told 7 News he had to act as “hitting a lady is just not on”.
“He jumped on a local bus here … and I was able to alert police he was on the bus, I was able to follow and make sure he was not to go anywhere,” he said.
“He had hit her with an iron bar but dropped it. We all just stopped after she screamed,” Mr Purdie told the Herald Sun.
“She ran into the cheesecake shop while he casually walked off. He was casually walking like nothing had happened.
“He looked like he was ready to kill someone today.”
Another witness named Ashlea, who was with her baby, said she was still in shock after hearing the woman’s scream.
“I heard this piercing scream and witnessed this woman run from the car wash into the slip lane and this man chased her and lunged at her which is when he must have hit her,” she said.
“He was clearly targeting women as there were plenty of men there. (It’s) so scary and shocking that women can’t even go to the car wash.”
Police then swooped on the man at a bus stop less than a kilometre away, and dragged him off in handcuffs.
Last on Thursday night the 24-year-old was charged with attempted carjacking (x3), reckless cause injury, aggravated assault of a female (x2), unlawful assault and resist arrest. He was remanded in custody to face court on Friday.
The terrifying incident is the latest in a series of alleged crimes involving Africans in Melbourne, including alleged gang-related murders, shootings and stabbings,
Earlier this week a terrified couple woke to find a gang of African teens standing over their bed during a home invasion, and just days before that a 24-year-old man was stabbed several times with a machete in Footscray.
Header image: Left, right, footage of the alleged carjacking attempt.
