A grandfather has been slashed with a knife during violent home invasion allegedly carried out by teenage African gang members in Melbourne.
Up to ten thugs allegedly broke into a home in Doncaster East at 5am on Wednesday morning, stealing the 38-year-old homeowner’s Maserati, Audi and Mercedes SUVs and leaving his father, 60, with a hand injury when he tried to stop them, 9 News reported.
Victoria Police said “eight teen gang members” had been arrested after two of the cars were spotted driving erratically along with a Holden Commodore in Narre Warren North at about 7.30am, where they were involved in a collision and an alleged fight broke out at a service station.
“Two groups of youths associated with the vehicles where then involved in a physical altercation before the groups dispersed with one of the groups seeking refuge in a nearby service station,” police said in a statement.
“Some of the rival males involved then allegedly attempted to enter the service station on Narre Warren North Road armed with axes and machetes. An 18-year-old man from one of the groups was injured and subsequently transported to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
“Police arrested three teenagers a 16-year-old Wallan boy, 17-year-old Cranbourne North boy, and a 17-year-old Narre Warren boy in Narre Warren North Road just before 8am.”
Five more males aged 15, 15, 17, 18 and 18 were arrested at a shopping centre in Casey shortly after midday, police said. They were from Mulgrave, Cranbourne North, Cranbourne South and Doveton.
The Asian homeowner, who was too frightened to give his real name, told 9 News he was asleep inside with his wife, baby and father when the thugs broke un waving knifes and threatening to kill them.
When his father tried to stop them, they “cut him and tried to stab him”, he said.
Video footage from 9 News shows police arresting several of the alleged gang members outside the Coles Express. The doors of the service station appear to have been smashed during the alleged altercation.
The frightening incident comes after a series of violent alleged incidents involving African teenagers in Melbourne in recent months, including shopping centre machete brawls, attacks on Uber Eats drivers, and Facebook Marketplace robberies.
