A 15-year-old boy has been taken into custody while seven other teenage boys remain on the run after a wild high-speed crash involving a stolen vehicle on a major Melbourne freeway over the weekend.
Dramatic Freeway Collision and Flip
The incident unfolded on Saturday morning when a stolen white Mazda 3 came racing through the Endeavour Hills area on the Monash Freeway. The speeding vehicle collided with an innocent woman's Mercedes, causing it to flip over in a dramatic crash that left witnesses shaken.
"Oh, I was so scared, you know. I was totally sure that he's going to hit somewhere," one witness told reporters, describing the terrifying moments as the stolen car careened through traffic.
Extreme Speeds Estimated by Witnesses
Witnesses at the scene estimate the stolen Mazda was travelling at speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour just before the collision. "I was going at 100km/h, so you can imagine from the footage, maybe 140km/h, 150km/h easily. That lady was so lucky," the same witness added, highlighting the dangerous speeds involved in the incident.
Teens Flee Scene on Foot
Following the crash, the situation took another dramatic turn when eight teenage boys piled out of the stolen vehicle, all making a run for it on foot. Bystanders at the scene managed to tackle the young driver to the ground and detain him until police arrived to make an official arrest.
The 15-year-old who was allegedly driving the stolen Mazda was subsequently arrested by Victoria Police officers. According to police statements, the Mazda had been stolen from a car park in Noble Park back on December 30, nearly a month before this incident occurred.
Search Continues for Remaining Teens
Despite an extensive Air Wing search operation conducted by police, the remaining seven teenage boys have yet to be tracked down and remain at large. Authorities continue their investigation to locate these individuals following the dangerous freeway incident.
Injured Driver Hospitalised
Police confirmed that the female driver of the Mercedes sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the collision and was transported to hospital for medical treatment. Her condition has been described as stable following the frightening ordeal on the busy freeway.
Second Stolen Vehicle Discovered During Response
In a separate but coincidental development, while police were responding to the initial crash scene, they stumbled across another stolen vehicle in the area. This second vehicle, a Nissan Navara that had been stolen from Cranbourne Railway Station carpark on January 20, was involved in its own series of collisions.
"As officers attempted to intercept the Nissan, the driver and passenger fled inbound in the vehicle," police said in an official statement regarding this secondary incident.
"A short time later, the Nissan collided into six vehicles on the freeway at the Belgrave Hallam Road off-ramp before the driver and his passenger fled on foot."
No Connection Between Incidents
Authorities have confirmed that no arrests have been made in connection with the second stolen vehicle incident involving the Nissan Navara. Police do not believe the two incidents are related, despite their proximity in both time and location during the police response operations.
The investigation into both matters continues as police work to locate the remaining teenagers from the initial crash and identify those responsible for the second stolen vehicle incident.
