A 15-year-old boy was left to die by his friends after an allegedly stolen car overturned during a high-speed chase in Melbourne's outer southwest, police said.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Friday, March 13, when a Skoda grey sedan carrying seven teenagers, aged 14 to 17, attempted to run another vehicle off the road. Police said the Skoda occupants had a sword and “lots of alcohol”.
According to Victoria Police Detective Inspector Craig McEvoy, the driver of a Toyota sedan felt “threatened and intimidated” by the Skoda occupants at a shopping centre in Tarneit. The Toyota left slowly, taking backstreets, but the Skoda followed and both vehicles accelerated dramatically, reaching speeds in excess of 180 km/h.
“What we believe at this point in time is that the Skoda has attempted to perform a pit manoeuvre on the other vehicle and in doing so has lost control (and) collided into the rear of two innocent parties,” Inspector McEvoy said. The collision involved a Ford sedan and a Ford Ranger, whose occupants sustained minor injuries.
The 15-year-old boy was ejected during the rollover and died at the scene. A female front-seat passenger suffered two broken legs and was taken to hospital. “Several occupants of the car have then decamped and ran from the scene, leaving the 15-year-old to die in a cowardly act,” Inspector McEvoy said.
Police arrested one teenager at the scene and another, aged 14, later at a hospital. It is unclear who was driving the Skoda, which is believed to have been stolen from an area 20 to 30 kilometres away between Wednesday and Thursday.
