One of two teenage girls arrested over a deadly crash involving an alleged stolen car in Melbourne‘s inner-east was out on bail, 9News can reveal.
The pair were part of a group of six youths travelling in an allegedly stolen jeep which ploughed into a Toyota hatchback at an intersection on Warrigal and Highbury in Burwood yesterday evening.
The impact of the collision claimed the life of the driver of the hatch, a 28-year-old man from Ashburton.
Two girls were arrested at the scene while four male teens remain on the run after fleeing on foot.
9News can reveal one of the girls was out on multiple counts of bail and the group is understood to be linked to a four-day crime spree across Melbourne’s south-east.
Detective Senior Sergeant Christian Von Tunk said it was a cowardly act to flee the scene knowing someone may have been injured or killed.
“The impact was tremendous. It was a high impact, high-speed impact,” Von Tunk said.
“They know someone would have been hurt in that vehicle.”
Witnesses told 9News the victim’s car spun through the intersection before crashing into a resident’s brick fence.
“They got him out of the car, put him on the lawn tried to revive him but obviously they were unsuccessful,” neighbour Peter said.
Another witness told 9News he was driving only seconds behind the Toyota while on a trip for ice cream with his wife.
“It just could have been me, I was preparing to turn right into Warragul Road waiting for the lights and then an explosion happened,” he said.
The man managed to stop the two teenage girls from making an escape.
“I grabbed one of the females and she threatened to bash me if I didn’t let her go, and I kept telling her, ‘You’ve just killed somebody, you’ve just killed somebody’,” he said.
The girls were taken to hospital under police guard.
They are currently being questioned.
The four youths that fled through Burwood Reserve were found to have thrown away a number of belongings, including gloves.
Police are urging anyone who comes across suspicious items in the parklands, including weapons or clothing, to contact police.
The Jeep Cherokee was stolen on Friday during an aggravated burglary in Cranbourne South.
The group is also linked to an armed robbery on Sunday night at a milk bar in Ormond where they allegedly threatened staff with machetes before stealing cigarettes.
Less than an hour later, the same group allegedly ransacked a grocer in Ripponlea.
Following the incident, the owner of the Jeep Cherokee told 9News he’s now too scared to be in his own home.
“It’s just a super sad situation for everyone involved, hopefully these people get caught,” he said.
Police are calling on anyone who witnessed the crash or who has CCTV or dashcam footage of the incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.