High-speed police chase ends in dramatic arrests on Monash Freeway

A high-speed police chase across Melbourne ended in dramatic scenes on the Monash Freeway on Thursday morning, with six young men arrested after a violent home invasion.

The multi-hour chase brought peak-hour traffic to a standstill near Berwick, with all outbound lanes of the Monash Freeway closed for more than two hours. Police intercepted two vehicles and arrested six males, aged between 17 and 21, near the Princes Freeway off-ramp about 8.30am.

The arrests followed an aggravated home invasion in Rosebud about 2.50am, where a group of youths allegedly forced entry into a home on Bilbul Avenue. Armed with two firearms and a knife, the group allegedly threatened a man and woman who had barricaded themselves in a bedroom.

“The man and woman, who were forced to hand over around $1000 in cash, both sustained minor injuries during the incident,” police said in a statement.

The offenders then fled in a stolen white Mercedes SUV, which police allege they later spotted travelling at speeds of up to 150km/h on the Peninsula Link near Moorooduc.

Police said officers attempted to intercept the vehicle, but it allegedly sped off.

“Details of the stolen vehicle were shared with all police units on the road, with officers urged to keep a look out for the offenders,” police said.

About two hours later, the same vehicle was reportedly seen in Thornbury, where the group allegedly broke into another home on Ballantyne Street.

Police allege the group of males got out of the car and forced their way into the property, which was unoccupied at the time. It is unclear if anything was stolen.

The pursuit continued across several suburbs, including Prahran and Hawthorn, with support from Operation Trinity units, the air wing, and local officers.

In Berwick, the offenders abandoned the Mercedes and attempted to flee in a waiting Mazda, which collided with another vehicle’s trailer as it tried to escape. Both vehicles were stopped by police shortly afterward.

Images from the scene on the Monash show two people in handcuffs being led towards police cars, with two cars damaged nearby. Ambulance Victoria said one person was taken to hospital.

Among those arrested were a 17-year-old boy from Casey, two 19-year-old men from Casey, a 20-year-old man from Kingston, a 21-year-old man from Greater Dandenong, and a 21-year-old man from Cardinia.

All remain in custody and are expected to be interviewed on Thursday.

Witnesses reported seeing multiple police cars and bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Monash Freeway on Thursday morning.

“I’m sitting here at the Clyde Road exit ramp, there are 15 police cars dead in front of me and traffic is at a stop,” one caller told 3AW.

“There is at least 14 police cars, there are at least two, possibly three people sitting on the ground in handcuffs,” said another caller. “It’s an absolute mess down here.”

During the arrests, police allegedly seized firearm components and ammunition from one of the suspects. A search of the Mazda also uncovered four machetes and a sword.

Acting Commander Adrian Healy from Southern Metro Region condemned the dangerous behaviour.

“Police are well aware that the impact caused by an intruder entering your home lasts long after they leave,” he said.

“That’s why we are out in force every night to try and prevent as many of these incidents as possible and when that’s not possible, enduring the offenders are in custody by the time the sun rises.

“There is an extreme risk caused by young offenders driving stolen vehicles at high speeds on our roads and we are thankful no one was seriously injured last night.”

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