A 13-year-old girl has been charged with 52 offences after allegedly shouting antisemitic remarks at members of Melbourne’s Jewish community and driving a stolen car erratically towards them.
Police say a black Hyundai sedan was stolen from a gym in Caulfield in Melbourne’s south-east, and then used across multiple days last week to commit crimes in Hampton, Ripponlea and Caulfield.
The teenage girl is accused of driving the car as its passengers shouted offensive, antisemitic remarks and threw eggs at pedestrians.
The girl is also accused of swerving the car towards a group of people from the Jewish community in Ripponlea as they crossed a road.
Investigators say the same 13-year-old was involved in an alleged hit-and-run in Brighton on Monday night.
Police say a cyclist was riding along St Kilda Street when an occupant of a stolen silver SUV attempted to hit the bike with the passenger door.
The SUV then crashed into the rear of the bike before fleeing the scene.
The cyclist, a 45-year-old Brighton man, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The rampage continued into the early hours of Tuesday morning, when teenagers in a stolen white Volkswagen Golf rammed into the back of an e-scooter in Elwood just after midnight.
The e-scooter’s riders both fell as it crashed into a parked vehicle, and the offenders again fled the scene.
Police say the stolen Volkswagen was later seen on Beach Road in Black Rock, and led officers on a chase across the Eastlink, Princes Highway and the Monash Freeway before being stopped.
The three female occupants were arrested at the scene and taken into custody.
Police have charged the 13-year-old with dozens of offences, including: – reckless conduct endanger serious injury – multiple counts of theft – multiple counts of theft of motor vehicle – burglary – handle stolen goods – threaten physical harm or property damage on ground of a protected attribute
She was remanded to appear at a children’s court.
A 16-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl were also arrested and charged with theft of motor vehicle and handle stolen goods and were bailed to appear at a children’s court at a later date.
Victoria Police say investigations into the series of incidents are ongoing and urge anyone who witnessed the incidents, with dashcam or CCTV footage to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
