Northern Territory Police have arrested multiple offenders after a crime series across the Greater Darwin Area overnight.
On Tuesday evening, between 15 – 20 male youths travelled from the Western Daly Region to Adelaide River where they unlawfully entered a school and stole a bus that was then used to travel to Darwin. The bus was abandoned in Berrimah before the group allegedly entered the yard of a business on Moo Street and stole 2 vehicles, ramming the gate with the vehicles to exit the property.
The vehicles were used to drive to Winnellie where they attended multiple businesses, stealing a Toyota Landcruiser utility and ramming through the gate at one business, stealing a Ford Fiesta sedan from another business and causing damage at multiple other businesses.
The same group of offenders continued to steal further cars which included a Landcruiser Troop Carrier from a licenced premises on Gilruth Avenue and another Landcruiser Troop Carrier from a residence in Nakara. Several of the stolen vehicles were then abandoned in Nakara and at the Casuarina Coastal Reserve.
Around 3am, both Landcruiser Troop Carriers drove into a cordon set by Strike Force Trident and Dog Operations Unit (DOU). A pursuit was initiated through Berry Springs before one of the vehicles turned and drove back toward Darwin and the second continued south of Darwin.
A tyre deflation device (TDD) was successfully deployed in the Acacia Hills area on the Stuart Highway, with two offenders aged 15 and 16 apprehended after a foot chase. A short time later, an older model Landcruiser failed to stop at the second cordon and a pursuit was initiated which resulted in a 16-year-old male being apprehended.
Around 7:30am, another Landcruiser utility failed to stop at a traffic cordon and a pursuit was commenced. A TDD was deployed with the offender deliberately ramming into a police vehicle, rendering it inoperable.
Four youths aged 15, 15, 15 and 16 were apprehended at the scene.
Further investigation indicated that both utilities had been stolen overnight from a facility in Acacia Hills on the Stuart Highway. Trident later arrested two males in the Casuarina area aged 16 and 17 in connection with the offending.
Senior Sergeant Dale Motter-Barnard said, “These offenders have conducted extensive property offences across the Greater Darwin Region and caused significant damage.“
We have now recovered 7 of the 8 stolen vehicles and have 9 offenders in custody.