An alleged hoon who performed burnouts dangerously close to a crowd of about 200 people was among two dozen people arrested during a major police crackdown in Hume.
The Police Air Wing spotted the illegal gathering at the intersection of Aiken Boulevard and Donnybrook Road in Mickleham about 11.35pm on Tuesday 14 October.
A vehicle with stolen plates was seen allegedly performing burnouts before fleeing, sparking a police pursuit through several suburbs including Sunbury and Brunswick.
Officers successfully deployed stop sticks in Fawkner, but the car continued on three tyres before crashing into a house on Holberry Road in Broadmeadows.
The 18-year-old Greenvale driver was charged with 16 offences, including dangerous driving and theft of a motor vehicle, while two Greenvale men aged 18 and 20, and a 17-year-old from New South Wales, also face theft-related charges.
Police also arrested a further 21 people during the operation and charged them with over 100 offences following a string of high-speed pursuits and drug offences across Melbourne’s north.
A 30-year-old Dallas man was arrested after allegedly crashing a Nissan SUV in Roxburgh Park before fleeing police in convoy with a BMW on Monday 13 October. Air Wing tracked the vehicles to Dallas, where officers intercepted the BMW and allegedly found methylamphetamine and ammunition.
The Dallas man was charged with 15 offences including reckless conduct endangering serious injury, trafficking methylamphetamine and driving under the influence of drugs, and was remanded in custody. The BMW driver, a 30-year-old from Meadow Heights, was also charged with drug trafficking, handling stolen goods, and weapons offences.
In a separate incident, a 23-year-old Craigieburn man was allegedly caught driving dangerously on the Hume Highway in Somerton about 3.50am on Wednesday 15 October. After a police pursuit assisted by Air Wing and stop sticks, he was arrested in Thomastown and charged with dangerous and reckless driving offences.
Two men aged 19 and 20 were seen allegedly speeding in a stolen Porsche in Roxburgh Park just after midnight on Tuesday 16 October.
Police detected the vehicle reaching alleged speeds of 120km/h in a 70km/h zone before arresting the pair in Meadow Heights after they attempted to flee on foot. The 20-year-old Meadow Heights man was charged with dangerous driving, trafficking cocaine and vehicle theft, while the 19-year-old from Collingwood was charged with theft of motor vehicle and drug possession.
Broadmeadows Police Station Acting Senior Sergeant Mick Kon said the behaviour of those charged was reckless and posed a risk to other road users.
