A violent crime wave swept through Melbourne's eastern suburbs in the early hours of the morning, as a gang armed with machetes terrorised three separate families during a shocking 20-minute rampage.
The Terrifying Ordeal Begins
The brazen attacks commenced just before 2am in Camberwell, where the armed intruders stormed into a family home through the kitchen. Twenty-one-year-old Aaron was inside with his mother when the confrontation occurred.
"They asked where the keys were to the house and used one arm to sweep a lot of the stuff off the kitchen counter onto the floor," Aaron recounted to 7NEWS. The gang demanded keys to the family's Mercedes, which was parked on the front driveway.
Showing remarkable courage, Aaron fought back by grabbing a kitchen knife and yelling at the intruders: "I will cut you with this f****** knife." He later explained this was "just pretty much, just to scare them away" from harming his family.
The Crime Spree Continues
Moments after being confronted, the trio allegedly returned to the Camberwell property with increased aggression. They grabbed a scooter and swung it into the front door, shattering the window before fleeing in their getaway car without successfully stealing the Mercedes.
At 2:05am, the gang moved to Mont Albert, where security cameras captured them walking around another home with machetes clearly visible. They attempted to force entry through the front door before turning their attention to a bedroom window.
A terrified couple watched from inside as the hooded figures approached their window. The residents shouted through the glass, successfully scaring the armed group away from their property.
Third Home Targeted With Success
The criminals found their breakthrough in Surrey Hills, where they climbed through a back window of a home while a family of five slept inside. A 17-year-old girl woke and heard the intruders moving through the house.
By the time she alerted her parents, the gang had already stolen two vehicles: a Mercedes B-Class and a Mazda CX-3. The entire terrifying crime spree spanned just twenty minutes, with each target struck approximately ten minutes apart.
Police Investigation and Arrests
Victoria Police later tracked the stolen vehicles to a home in Narre Warren, where they arrested two suspects aged 17 and 25. However, a third offender remains at large following the early morning rampage.
The brazen nature of the attacks has shocked residents across Melbourne's eastern suburbs, with multiple homes targeted in quick succession by the machete-armed thugs.
Police investigations continue as they work to locate the remaining suspect and piece together the full timeline of events during the terrifying twenty-minute crime wave.
