source : the age
It’s just past midday – twelve hours after her son died in a high-speed crash – and a mother’s wails pierce the air on Derrimut Road.
Her 15-year-old son was killed after the stolen Skoda sedan he was in rolled several times down the strip in Hoppers Crossing, in Melbourne’s south-west, just after midnight on Thursday. Police say 24 hours earlier the car had been stolen by a group of teenagers from a home in Maidstone.
The boy, one of at least five teens in the car, was thrown from the vehicle on impact. One girl broke both her legs. Police believe that others fled the scene, leaving the boy to die on the road.
CCTV from a nearby business shows the car losing control at the intersection.
Police on Friday morning said a grey Skoda sedan had been pursuing a Toyota sedan “in what appears to be an attempted carjacking along Derrimut Road”.
“The speed of the vehicles during that was in excess of 180km/h, which is unfathomable and completely excessive,” Inspector Craig McEvoy from the major collision investigation unit said.
“What we believe at this point in time is the Skoda has attempted to perform a pit maneuver on the other vehicle, the Toyota, and in doing so, the Skoda has lost control, collided into the rear of two innocent parties.
“Following that impact, the Skoda has slid, rolled and come to rest where it is.”
He said a girl sitting in the front seat had broken both her legs and a third person was arrested at the scene, but “several” others ran.
“[They left] the 15-year-old to die in a cowardly act.”
One boy was found on the other side of the shopping centre while the others kept running. On Friday morning, a 14-year-old presented at the Mercy Hospital in Werribee and has since been taken into custody.
McEvoy said that at the scene police found a sword and alcohol strewn from the vehicle.
Taking in the scene – the police tape, shattered glass and debris covering the road – the boy’s family said a police officer showed up on their doorstep and were told something awful had happened. The family, who asked his identity not be published, said they were yet to identify his body and still didn’t know what had led to his death.
“He was a good boy. We have no idea why this has happened,” the boy’s uncle said as he held the 15-year-old’s weeping mother.
“He didn’t even have a license. He always goes to school. He has never been in trouble.”
Police are still looking for other teens involved, urging them to hand themselves in before police catch up with them.
“This is a shocking circumstance that could have resulted in multiple fatalities,” McEvoy said. “All occupants of this vehicle that we now know are between 14 years of age and 16 years of age.
“To run from the scene whilst you’ve got a mate who’s laying on the ground dying, it’s a coward’s act. Do the right thing now. Give that family some peace. Present yourself. Assist us with our inquiries. Do the right thing.
‘This is not a PlayStation game where you can hit reset and start again. This is real lives, real situations that cannot be undone.’
Victoria Police Inspector Craig McEvoy
“This is not a PlayStation game where you can hit reset and start again. This is real lives, real situations that cannot be undone.”
Residents along Derrimut Road said this isn’t the first time they’ve encountered chaos, saying the strip is known as a popular spot for hoon drivers to test their engines.
“This happens a lot,” one woman, who asked not to be identified, said. “I’d be keen to see some kind of speed camera installed. There’s nothing here, that’s why they do it.”
She said her brother had heard the collision in the early hours and rushed out only to find a body lying on the road. “He saw them [the teens] just bolting. He heard the screams.”
Police are yet to lay any charges over the incident, but say the investigation is ongoing. The teens in custody are still being questioned.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or may have dashcam/CCTV footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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