Moomba weapons arrest

Police believe they likely prevented serious violence when they arrested several armed males near St Kilda Rd on the first night of the Moomba Festival, they said.

The March 5 arrest saw two machetes, a meat cleaver, a long carving knife, flick knives, a knuckle duster, balaclavas and gloves and drugs seized, according to police.

Festival security services had alerted police to a youth armed with a knife within the festival grounds at about 9.15pm and officers from the Public Order Response Team and local police tasked with patrolling the festival had tracked a group of eight males to the Southbank area at about 9.25pm.

The youths had been detained for searches under the Control of Weapons Act, police said.

A 16-year-old boy was charged and remanded to appear in Children’s Court, while a 16 and 17-year-old boy were expected to be charged at a later date.

Car chase arrest

A 44-year-old man and 34-year-old woman have been charged with multiple offences, including theft of motor vehicle, handle stolen goods and possess drug of dependence, after police pursued a car allegedly stolen from Franklin St on January 28.
Officers spotted the Nissan X-Trail in Port Melbourne at around 4.15pm on March 20 and tried unsuccessfully to intercept it, police said, before it headed into the South Melbourne area.

With the help of the Police Air Wing, officers had then used stop sticks to stop it, with the vehicle dumped on Bray St, South Yarra, and the occupants arrested nearby.
The man, from Doncaster, was remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrate’ Court on March 30 while the woman, from Brunswick, was bailed to appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on September 18.

Coffee shop incident

A man who allegedly exposed himself and urinated in a Bourke St coffee shop on a Friday morning was arrested without incident a few blocks away on March 20, police said.

After leaving the coffee shop, near the intersection of Elizabeth St, sometime after 8.15am, the 41-year-old had allegedly boarded a tram on Bourke St armed with a large knife.

He was arrested at Westwood Place, where a knife was found behind a building, police said.

No-one had been injured in the incident.

The 41-year-old Carnegie man was charged with drug, weapons and behavioural offences and was due to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court.

Dead end arrest

A man was charged after allegedly ramming a police van when he was cornered in a dead-end lane in the CBD in the early hours of March 6.
Police say officers tried to stop a white Kia sedan that was driving erratically on Elizabeth St at about 3.15am but the car failed to stop and turned into La Trobe St, before reaching a dead-end in a laneway.
When officers blocked the car in, the driver had crashed into a police van as he attempted to flee, they said.
Police searched the Kia, which was allegedly displaying false plates, and contained drugs.

The 38-year-old driver, from Ferntree Gully, was charged with a range of drug, theft, driving and traffick offences and was due to face the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.

Alleged CBD groping

A man was charged after several incidents in Melbourne’s CBD on March 2 where women were allegedly groped and threatened.
The alleged offender was arrested in Bourke St following several calls to Triple Zero about someone who appeared to be randomly assaulting members of the public, some in a sexual manner, near Flinders St steps about 5.30pm.

Officers had quickly responded to arrest the man, police said, but he allegedly spat at and assaulted officers during the arrest, injuring a senior constable from Transit Safety Division who needed to be taken to hospital for treatment.
The 36-year-old alleged offender was charged with two counts each of sexual assault and indictable assault police and was bailed to appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in May.

Anyone with information about the incidents who may not yet have spoken to police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestoppersvic.com.au.

Crazy collision

A 27-year-old Ardeer man was charged with multiple serious driving offences after a collision at the intersection of Flinders and Williams streets on March 2.

Police said an allegedly stolen black wagon he was driving was moving erratically before it collided with another vehicle at about 4.10pm.

The wagon then crashed into a traffic light on the opposite side of the road, narrowly missing pedestrians.

In an attempt to get away the driver had allegedly jumped from the moving vehicle before it crashed into a tram stop.

Police said they arrested the alleged offender after he unsuccessfully tried to steal another car parked on the street nearby.

He was remanded in custody to appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.