Balaclava-clad offenders ‘targeted wrong house’ in botched home invasion
Three balaclava-clad men who smashed their way into a suburban Melbourne home with an axe and shot at one of its residents in the middle of the night are believed to have targeted the wrong home.
Armed squad detectives on Wednesday released closed-circuit television footage of the botched home invasion in a bid to identify the alleged offenders, who have been on the run since April 29.
CCTV footage obtained by police shows the man attempting to break in by hacking the door with an axe.Credit:Police Media
In the footage, the trio can be seen running toward the front door of the Strathmore home, in Melbourne’s north-west, before one of the men starts shooting at the handle.
After failing to break the lock, another man begins repeatedly hacking the door with an axe before using the axe to smash a nearby window.
Two of the men are then seen crawling through the window to unlock the front door, leaving their alleged accomplice outside to guard the entrance.
Police allege the men, who are believed to have arrived in a stolen black Volkswagen Tiguan about 1.20am, shot at a 54-year-old man inside the home before fleeing the scene in the vehicle. The man wasn’t injured during the ordeal.
Investigators found the burnt-out Volkswagen along Donnybrook Road in Woodstock a short time later. They believe the trio torched the vehicle and then could have fled towards Epping in a white 2018 Mazda 3 hatch.
Armed squad detective acting Senior Sergeant Simon Pengelly said the home invasion had been “absolutely terrifying” for the residents.
“We believe this was a planned and targeted attack that was recklessly executed, with the offenders attending the wrong address and firing shots at innocent persons,” he said.
Pengelly said alliances shifted over time and police were keen to speak to anyone with information on the men and the vehicle in the images.
“If there are people out there with information about the incident who are yet to come forward, I’d again appeal to those people to contact police and as always, this can be done anonymously,” he said.
Anyone who witnessed the incident, has information on the men or the vehicle involved is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
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