Three people charged after Preston carjacking which left victim with stab wounds to face

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Police have charged three people over yet another abduction attempt - this time in melbourne's north. The victim suffered serious injuries after being allegedly stabbed before police arrested the offenders following a dramatic car chase. The city's been rocked by a spate of incidents this past week, but the state government insists there's nothing to fear.

Transcript

00:00 A Sunday night car chase that shook residents in Melbourne's north.

00:06 My partner and I heard a big bang. Within a minute there was flashing lights and police

00:10 sirens. One of the alleged offenders tried hiding

00:13 under this preston man's ute before being arrested by police. A knife was also found

00:18 in his garden bed. I told them they weren't ours, so they said

00:23 no problems and then they said we've just apprehended someone trying to hide underneath

00:27 the ute. Police say an 18-year-old man was allegedly

00:30 abducted and suffered stab wounds to his face. A car hire company alerted police about 9.40

00:37 last night that their silver Hyundai had been stolen from Mitchell Street.

00:41 Officers followed the vehicle to the intersection of Bell and High Streets in Preston, where

00:46 the 18-year-old was ejected. The pursuit continued to Barrow Street, where

00:50 the Hyundai struck police road spikes. It ended when the stolen vehicle crashed into

00:55 a parked car on Biscoff Street. Four people fled but were all arrested soon

01:00 after and police said they found a number of weapons.

01:04 A 17-year-old boy allegedly behind the wheel despite being unlicensed has been charged

01:09 with a number of offences including theft of a motor vehicle.

01:13 A 21-year-old woman was also charged. Both were already out on bail before this incident.

01:19 A 20-year-old Northcote man was also charged while a fourth person, a 16-year-old girl,

01:25 was released. Last night's events follow a series of high

01:28 profile crime incidents. Exactly a week ago, a young student was left

01:32 with life-altering injuries after an alleged abduction while a 76-year-old man was killed

01:38 and five others injured during Friday night's Bourke Street rampage.

01:42 The very next morning, underworld figure Gavin Preston was shot dead at a busy Keylor cafe.

01:48 But the state government insists there is no threat to the general public.

01:52 "We are a very safe community here in Melbourne and in Victoria."

01:56 Crime detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident.

02:01 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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